Adventures in MountainClan
by Autumn Leaf Ninja
Summary: The new Warriors prophecy follows cats from a distant Clan known as MountainClan as they go through a cascade of events that lead up to a journey to a land far, far away...
1. Chapter 1: Intro

MountainClan kits Goldenkit, Crowkit, and Mossykit were in the nursery watching the new kits with their mother as their brothers Toadkit and Snakekit slept.

Goldenkit, a kit named for her golden fur, puffed out her chest with pride, looking at a white kit with ginger paws. "You see that one? That's going to be _my_ friend. We'll be the strongest cats in the Clan, I tell you."

Her sister, Mossykit, argued, "Not fair! I want him to be _my_ friend!"

The third sister, Crowkit, oblivious to their small argument, remarked, "Look at the little one! What a cute little kit."

Mossykit teased, "If you think he's so cute, maybe you can be mates when you grow up!"

Crowkit lifted her head indignantly and said, "That's not funny, and it won't be until it actually happens and you don't have any mate at all!"

"Want to bet?" Mossykit hissed, pouncing on Crowkit. They began tussling in the nursery, rousing Willowfire, the mother of the new kits.

Willowfire blinked sleep out of her eyes and scolded them. "Behave, you kits! You'll wake my little ones." The kits sat up and ducked their heads apologetically.

Mossykit said, "Sorry," while Crowkit muttered, "She started it…." Their tussled began again, Willowfire hissing in annoyance as her kits began to meow.

Goldenkit said to Willowfire, "Crowkit says she's going to grow up and be mates with _that_ one," pointing her tail to Willowfire's smaller kit. "What'll his name be?"

"Oakkit."

"Okay. What about the other one? He's going to be my friend, you know. I called it."

Mossykit argued, "Did _not!_ He's going to be _my_ friend, not yours."

Willowfire rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. "His name will be Flamekit, and he can be both of your friends. Please, kits, try not to wake your brothers. I'll have to send you outside if you do."

Ferretleap, a queen with cream-and-brown fur, yawned and stretched. "You've already woken half of us."

"Please go outside," said Pineshade, a tortoiseshell queen.

Brightcloud eagerly chimed, "Yes, please do. We'll send Snakekit and Toadkit out after you once they're up."

Mossykit sighed and turned to leave, flicking her tail over Goldenkit's ears. "Okay. C'mon, little kits."

Goldenkit snarled, "Just because your tail's longer doesn't necessarily mean that we're smaller!"

"Hush, kitten," Mossykit replied in a dignified voice. Goldenkit batted her paw at Mossykit's tail as the three kits padded out, and their tussling could be heard from inside the nursery.

Crowkit asked, "So what were their names again, Goldenkit?" Mossykit pinned Goldenkit down to the ground and Goldenkit went limp. Mossykit loosened her grip and Goldenkit launched her backward.

Goldenkit panted, "Flamekit and Oakkit. The ginger kit is Flamekit and the small dark brown kit is Oakkit."

Crowkit said thoughtfully, "I wonder what their warrior names will be?"

Goldenkit opened her mouth to reply, but Mossykit ran up and bowled her over. Snakekit and Toadkit, their brothers, padded out of the nursery.

Toadkit asked, "Warrior names? Whose?"

"Flamekit and Oakkit," Crowkit replied.

Snakekit snorted. "Willowfire's kits? I don't know. Who cares? What'll _our_ names be?"

Goldenkit and Mossykit continued to wrestle on the ground, kicking up dust. Mossykit broke away and sneezed several times.

"I bet Mossykit will be Mossynose, since she's always sneezing!" Goldenkit teased.

"Not funny!" Mossykit pounced on Goldenkit again, and their play-fight resumed.

Snakekit said, "I bet I'll be Snaketail, since I've got a thin tail like this one." He swiped his tail around himself, and Mossykit sneezed again as Goldenkit pinned her down.

Toadkit hissed, "Maybe they'll name me after that mean old cat Toadfur."

Goldenkit and Mossykit stopped tussling and sat up. Mossykit sneezed and said, "Don't say that!"

Goldenkit added, "Don't forget who always tells us stories when we're bored."

Crowkit warned, in a hushed voice, "Besides, we don't want any cat to hear us being disrespectful."

Toadkit shrugged, "Who cares? They _have_ to make _me_ a warrior. I'll be the most useful one in our litter, unlike Lostkit."

Goldenkit said in her third brother's defense, "Oh, give him a break. He's too small and weak to play, but so what? Leave him be. Maybe he'll grow up stronger than us, if he's loved enough. Dapplestripe says love blossoms. Maybe he'll blossom, too."

"As if. He'll die before leaf-bare," snarled Snakekit.

**Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll stay with the story! :) This is my very first fanfiction written and posted here, so I hope you'll let me know what you think! :)**

**Since this is _fan_fiction, I don't find it necessary to say this, but I will just in case. _I don't own Warriors!_ I only own my OCs, who have no obvious resemblance to the canon characters!**


	2. Chapter 2: The Ceremony

"I can't believe my kits are six moons old already. It seems like it was just yesterday when your mother and I first laid eyes on you," their father said, helping Willowfire groom their fur.

"Is Lostkit going to be an apprentice, too?" Goldenkit asked.

"I'm sure Blacktail will take him in. He's been in the medicine den for almost his whole life," her father, Stormstrike, replied.

"He's going to be a medicine cat apprentice?" Mossykit gasped with wide eyes. "I thought Blacktail was taking Goldenkit on as an apprentice."

"So did I," Goldenkit agreed, her eyes full of dismay. "I don't want to be a warrior! It's not fair."

"That's enough of that. I'm sure that Lostkit would have liked to be a warrior someday," Willowfire scolded them.

"Even if he had, it'd be impossible. He's not good at anything, or good _for_ anything, either. A cat that can't see or hear can't be a warrior _or_ a medicine cat," Snakekit argued. He thought that Goldenkit would easily make a much better medicine cat.

"Yeah," Toadkit agreed. "If he's a medicine cat, he won't be able to tell if his patient is in pain, bleeding, infected, or anything."

"He won't even be able to do the ceremony right," Crowkit added. Before Willowfire could scold them again, their Clan leader spoke.

"Let all MountainClan cats old enough to catch their own prey gather to hear my words," Thornstar called. The other queens in the nursery started heading out, giving the kits encouraging glances as they padded out.

Ferretleap paused and said, "I'm sure your mother would be proud," and then left.

"Are we going to go now?" Mossykit asked.

"Not yet," Willowfire told the kits. They could hardly contain their excitement. Only Goldenkit looked nervous. "I've got to go wait outside with the others. Come, my kits," she called to Flamekit and Oakkit, who were curiously looking on with wide, bright eyes.

"Where are we going, mother?" Flamekit asked as the kits bounced across the nursery to their mother.

Oakkit's stomach rumbled. "Are we going to get food? I'm hungry."

"No. When we get outside, you are going to sit quietly and not say a word until the ceremony is over," their mother told them. She turned to Oakkit. "If there is prey left on the pile afterwards, you can get some, but only when I tell you it's okay. Understood?"

"Yes, mother," the three-month-old kits said in unison as they followed their mother out of the nursery.

"Alright, kits," Stormstrike said, peering out of the nursery through the fronds. "I think we can go now. Walk slowly and don't speak unless called on. Understood?"

"Yes," they squeaked, following their father out, where their whole Clan was waiting for them.

Thornstar looked down on the kits proudly from the rock where he sat. He leapt down to meet them halfway into the Clearing.

"I have called the Clan together today to perform several very important ceremonies. These young cats are ready and eager to serve and protect their Clan. In order to do so, however, they must endure moons of training."

"Mossykit, please come forward." The young she-cat tried to take slow, dignified steps, but still practically bounced over to the Clan leader.

"Mossykit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time you are apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Mossypaw. Your mentor will be Appletail." The reddish-brown tom's green eyes sparkled with happiness and eagerness as he stepped to the front of the crowd.

"Appletail, I hope you will pass down your spirit and enthusiasm to your new apprentice." The new mentor and his apprentice touched noses and stepped back into the crowd, their eyes glowing.

Thornstar continued, "Toadkit, please come forward." The young tom stepped forward eagerly. "Toadkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time you are apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Toadpaw. Your mentor will be Fernfrost." Fernfrost, a pale gray and white she-cat with a white tail-tip, stepped forward.

"Fernfrost, I hope you will pass down your patience and honesty to your new apprentice." Toadpaw and Fernfrost touched noses and stepped back into the crowd beside Appletail and Mossypaw.

Thornstar turned to the third kit, Snakekit. "Snakekit, please come forward." As the kit bounced forward, Thornstar continued, "Snakekit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time you are apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be called Snakepaw. Your mentor will be Owlnose. I hope Owlnose will pass down his determination and strength to you." The brown tabby tom stretched his pointed muzzle forward and touched noses with his apprentice.

Thornstar turned to Crowkit and nodded. The dark gray she-cat stepped forward. "Crowkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time you are apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be called Crowpaw. Your mentor will be Cedarstorm." The larger dark gray she-cat stepped forward. "Cedarstorm, I hope you will pass down your honesty and patience to your new apprentice." They touched noses and stepped back.

Goldenkit was next, but she was terrified. Would she become a medicine cat or a warrior?

"Goldenkit, please step forward."


	3. Chapter 3: Interlude

**Thanks to my very first reviewers! Seeing that people liked it or found it interesting or anything at all makes me very happy!**

** Skymist20: Thanks. I'm glad you found it interesting. I hope you'll keep reading.**

** The Black Joker: Warriors is a series of books, not an anime. I guess I should've told you that. Haha :)**

**Here's the third chapter! This is an interlude that I put up to keep you in suspense about Goldenkit and her apprenticeship. After this one, I'll finish the ceremonies. *Insert evil smile here* Then I'll put up the MountainClan allegiances. I hadn't done it yet because I was waiting until after all the naming ceremonies.**

**On another note, I had started this story a while ago, but I joined this site recently, and my story is following a different plot now, so now I have to do re-writes of some parts I'd written almost/over a year ago. The first chapter was written a long time ago, too, but the plot hasn't really started yet. The first four or five chapters are introductions. The prophecy is a few chapters in. **

**I know my chapters have been short so far, but the next one's going to be the big three- to four-pager. At least, that's big for me. Anyhow, I'm done rambling, so it's time to start. She-cats and toms, I present to you: Chapter 3!**

**(This chapter is about what happened to Lostkit, the other brother that hasn't said anything so far. This was back when their mother, Goldenstripe, was still alive. Now we see that Goldenkit is an excellent talker. Heh heh :P Also, you already know that Lostkit survived, he's just really messed up, but he becomes an apprentice anyway… or **_**does**_** he? Enjoy! Nya :3)**

In the medicine den after an accident, Lostkit, a deaf kit with gold-bracken fur, mewled helplessly, sprawled out across the center of the floor. His parents, Stormstrike and Goldenstripe, and his sisters Crowkit and Goldenkit were with him and the medicine cat, Blacktail. Goldenstripe, a beautiful she-cat with pale golden fur, nervously paced back and forth. Goldenkit and Crowkit kept a bit away, giving Blacktail space to work. Stormstrike crowded over Lostkit.

Stormstrike asked worriedly, "Will he be okay?"

"I don't know if I can fix him. I'm surprised he's alive at all, considering the height of the fall and all the blood he's lost," Blacktail admitted.

Goldenstripe's voice was sharp with worry as she screeched, "Will he be okay? _Fix_ him!"

"I'm _trying_!" Blacktail let out a sigh, knowing that the parents were distraught and desperate. "Maybe you should step outside for a little while. I'll call you in if there's any difference."

Stormstrike and Goldenstripe exit the medicine den, leaving Crowkit and Goldenkit behind with Blacktail and Lostkit.

"He's not looking too good, Blacktail," Goldenkit said.

"You think he'll die?" asked Crowkit.

Goldenkit thought for a second, then replied, "Maybe. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. What do you think, Blacktail?"

Blacktail flicked his tail impatiently and sighed. "I'm a bit busy now, kits. Why don't you go off and play someplace?"

Crowkit excitedly tried to take advantage of the offer. She squeaked, "_Any_place? Like outside the camp?"

Blacktail narrowed his eyes and said sternly, "Absolutely not. That's not allowed. Kits must stay in camp at all times." Crowkit's tail drooped and Goldenkit began to wander around, stopping to sniff occasionally. The kits were bored and had absolutely no intention of leaving.

"I told you two to go play." Blacktail was impatient and didn't like to repeat himself. "Go on. I need peace and quiet right now. Perhaps time will heal him."

Crowkit bought this excuse easily. She waved her tail in farewell and said, "Okay. Bye." She padded out of the medicine cat den, but Goldenkit padded closer to Blacktail and sat beside him.

Goldenkit asked quietly, "Does time have herbs?"

Blacktail turned to Goldenkit. "Excuse me?"

"Does time have herbs? You said time would heal him, but where would time get the herbs?"

Blacktail sighed, "I wish time had herbs to fix him, but no herbs can fully heal Lostkit. I apologize."

Goldenkit flicked her tail dismissively. "Not a problem. He'll get better. Love blossoms, right? Since we all love him, it'll definitely happen. Surely he hasn't blossomed yet. When he does, he'll be back to normal. A warrior, maybe even, do you think?"

Blacktail blinked at her. "Don't get your hopes up. I'm afraid there's not much time left with which this kit should, how you said, blossom." He was about to try to kick her out again, but she didn't give him the opportunity. She replied with a shrug and spoke again.

"Did you ever have kits, Blacktail?" she ventured, her big blue eyes glittering with mischief.

Blacktail shifted uncomfortably. "What does that have to do with anything? Besides, it's against medicine cat code to have kits."

"But that's _stupid_!" Goldenkit argued. "I bet your kits would be pretty, Blacktail. Maybe we could've been friends, your kits and me."

"But it's completely against the medicine cat code!" he spluttered.

Goldenkit narrowed her eyes and pressed, "So? I bet medicine cats have had kits _many_ times before, don't you think so?"

Blacktail couldn't take any more awkward questions, but his discomfort only encouraged Goldenkit, so he made sure she didn't get to ask any more questions. "Okay, that's enough, kit. Out you go." Blacktail shooed Goldenkit out of the medicine cat den and sat back down in front of Lostkit with a sigh. This kit was as good as dead, paws down, no questions asked. Everyone already knew death was inevitable for this kit.

**Wow, this turned out pretty long after all. Actually, it was almost two pages long on Word, which is pretty short, but the beginning part before it started made it almost three pages long. Cool! Please review and favorite if you liked it. I need new cats, also. I've got a lot so far that I'm very happy with, but it'd be more fun for readers to see their own characters in the story, too, right? If you want to suggest characters, give me as many details as possible. Chapter 4 is coming either today, tomorrow, or the day after. I promise. Meow :3**


	4. Chapter 4: Goldenpaw, Apprenticed

**Thanks for all your reviews anyone! Here's the promised jumbo chapter! It's the longest so far, and took me hours!**

**This chapter also introduces Skymist and Shadowclaw, who belong to Skymist20 and ShinigamiinPeru. Thanks for being loyal readers! I appreciate your help :)**

On trembling paws, Goldenkit stepped forward. In front of Thornstar, a huge dark brown tabby famous for his tremendously long claws, she glanced around. Blacktail wasn't in the surrounding crowd, so he must be watching from outside the medicine den. Goldenkit's heart sank. So he wasn't going to be he mentor, after all. Her mind drifted back to _that_ time. It was the last time she and her littermates had seen their mother, Goldenstripe, a beautiful golden she-cat whose sweet scent filled the air around her and flooded their hearts with love and warmth.

"_Now, kits," _their mother had said. _"I'm going out for a little while with Dapplestripe. I'll be back soon."_ Then she was gone, and she never came back.

Now, in front of Thornstar, she knew that her unspoken promise to Goldenstripe wouldn't be fulfilled. Goldenkit's heart was broken as she remembered how her parents would call her their _precious little medicine cat_. Her littermates were all their _precious little warriors_, but she was supposed to be a medicine cat. This was because Goldenstripe dreamed of being a medicine cat, but Blacktail was chosen instead. Goldenkit was named after her resemblance to her mother, and so she wanted to carry out her dream.

She swallowed back her doubt and lifted her chin to peer into Thornstar's eyes. Embarrassingly enough, the ceremony had already started while she was zoned out. She faked a sneeze and said sheepishly, "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

The Clan purred amusedly, and she ducked her head. What was she thinking? She could've just played along like she'd been listening the whole time. Thornstar let out an exasperated sigh. "Do you want to become an apprentice or not?"

"Y-yes! I'm sorry," she squeaked apologetically, lifting her chin once again.

Thornstar blinked with forced and practiced patience and sighed again. "If you'll join us, Goldenkit, I'd like to continue the ceremony." She gulped and nodded nervously. "Alright, then. Let's continue.

"Goldenkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time you are apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Goldenpaw. I will mentor you myself." Goldenpaw's eyes sparked with surprise, and some cats in the crowd gasped. Shaken, she stumbled closer to touch noses with her mentor.

She stepped back and turned into the crowd, settling beside Mossypaw and Crowpaw, who were watching her with wide eyes. "Lucky!" Mossypaw hissed into her ear, only to have Appletail hiss at her to be quiet. The silence didn't last long, though. Soon every cat was calling their names.

"Mossypaw! Snakepaw! Toadpaw! Crowpaw! Goldenpaw!" the Clan called over and over. They thought they might burst with pride and happiness.

"Now then, we have more important ceremonies to conduct," Thornstar continued. Goldenpaw wondered what other ceremony there would be, but then she saw the oldest apprentices exchanging excited looks.

"This must be their warrior ceremony," Crowpaw whispered in Goldenpaw's ear. How exciting! Goldenpaw had never witnessed one before.

Thornstar nodded to the eldest apprentices. "Please come forward." Five cats stood before him, with their proud mentors right behind them. "I Thornstar, leader of MountainClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn."

He turned to the first apprentice, a pure silver she-cat with shining blue eyes. "Silverpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," she replied, looking happy enough to burst.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Silverpaw, from this moment you will be known as Silverstrike. StarClan honors your courage and your honesty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of MountainClan." Thornstar rested his muzzle on her head, and she licked his shoulder in response. Silverstrike stepped back into the crowd.

He turned to the next apprentice, a pretty she-cat with light brown fur and bright blue eyes. Her tabby-marked ears pricked as her name was called. One was dark brown and the other was cream. Her tabby legs and tail trembled with sheer joy, revealing her excitement at being named a warrior.

"Skypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," she replied, her voice remaining calm and collected.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Skypaw, from this moment you will be known as Skymist. StarClan honors your bravery and kindness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of MountainClan." Thornstar rested his muzzle on Skymist's head, and she licked his shoulder. She retreated to the crowd, settling between Silverstrike and Lightspark, a reddish-brown tom with a dark brown ear and dark brown stripes along his tail. His light green eyes met hers and he whispered congratulations as the ceremony continued.

A pale silver she-cat named Hollypaw was called next. She was recognized for her intelligence and kindness and named Hollytail. She backed away on her white paws, her green eyes sharing a look of delight with her littermate, Silverstrike.

Their brother, Patchpaw, a cream-furred tom with a dark cream tail, was called next. His strength and loyalty were recognized as he was named Patchclaw. He sat beside Hollytail.

Next was a pure black tom with a white muzzle and a pink nose. He was the fifth apprentice, and therefore the last. "Shadowpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," he replied.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Shadowpaw, from this moment you will be known as Shadowclaw. StarClan honors your intelligence and forethought, and we welcome you as a full warrior of MountainClan." Thornstar rested his muzzle on Shadowclaw's head, and he licked Thornstar's shoulder in response.

"Our new warriors will sit vigil tonight, keeping watch for danger," Thornstar announced as Shadowclaw settled beside Patchclaw.

"Silverstrike! Skymist! Hollytail! Patchclaw! Shadowclaw!" the Clan called.

"Now, before I dismiss you all, we have more ceremonies. Busy day today, isn't it?" he remarked good-humoredly. "Dawnfrost, Poppyfern, please come forward."

The littermates approached Thornstar. "Dawnfrost, is it your wish to give up the name of warrior and go join the elders?"

The pale gray tom replied, "It is."

"Your Clan honors you and all the service you have given us. I call upon StarClan to give you many seasons of rest," Thornstar continued, laying his tail on Dawnfrost's shoulders. Dawnfrost bowed his head and backed away to join the other elders.

"Poppyfern, is it your wish to give up the name of warrior and go join the elders?"

The tortoiseshell-and-gray she-cat replied, "It is."

"Your Clan honors you and all the service you have given us. I call upon StarClan to give you many seasons of rest." Thornstar rested his tail on her shoulders. She bowed her head and joined her brother and the other elders.

"Dawnfrost! Poppyfern! Dawnfrost! Poppyfern!" the Clan called.

"Our final ceremony is the apprenticeship of Lostkit. Blacktail," Thornstar nodded to Blacktail to fetch the kit from the medicine den. Blacktail returned with Lostkit. He guided the abnormally small kit with his tail on his shoulders. They made slow progress, but finally reached Thornstar.

"From this day forward, until he has earned his warrior name, this apprentice will be called Lostpaw. Blacktail, your many moons of service have shown your intelligence and loyalty. May you pass down your skills to this young apprentice."

Blacktail pressed his nose against Lostpaw's. The Clan called Lostpaw's name, but lacked the enthusiasm displayed after the previous apprentice naming ceremonies.

"I hereby call this meeting to an end," Thornstar announced. "Let us go in peace."


	5. Chapter 5 & Allegiances 1

**Allegiances **

**MountainClan**

**Leader**

Thornstar – dark brown tabby tom with long claws (Apprentice: Goldenpaw)

**Deputy**

Stormstrike – long-furred gray-black tom with a white tail-tip

**Medicine cat**

Blacktail – a long-furred pure-black tom (Apprentice: Lostpaw – a gold-bracken tom with failed eyes and ears)

**Warriors (toms and she-cats without kits) **

Cedarstorm – dark gray she-cat (Apprentice: Crowpaw)

Fernfrost – pale gray and white long-furred she-cat with a white tail-tip (Apprentice: Toadpaw)

Owlnose – brown tabby tom with a pointed muzzle and amber eyes (Apprentice: Snakepaw)

Appletail – reddish-brown tom with a stubby tail and green eyes (Apprentice: Mossypaw)

Rosefur- blue-eyed, long-furred dark cream tabby she-cat

Dapplestripe- tortoiseshell she-cat

Minnowstream- striped pale gray tabby she-cat

Snowstrike- pure-white tom

Tigerstorm- striped dark brown tabby tom with large front paws

Hollowfoot- dark brown tabby tom with unusually small paws

Lightspark – reddish-brown tom with a dark brown ear and dark brown-striped tail and light green eyes

Littlefire- very small dark ginger tom with a white tail-tip

Poppynose- skinny light gray she-cat with pale blue eyes

Silverstrike – pure silver she-cat with blue eyes

Hollytail – pale gray she-cat with white paws and green eyes

Patchclaw- cream tom with a dark cream tail

Shadowclaw – pure black tom with a white muzzle and pink nose

Skymist – light brown tabby she-cat with one dark brown and one cream ear

**Apprentices (more than six moons old, in training to become warriors)**

Snakepaw- green-eyed black tom with a thin tail

Toadpaw- Green-eyed tom with tabby-striped tail

Crowpaw- dark gray she-cat

Mossypaw- light brown she-cat

Goldenpaw- golden she-cat

**Queens (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)**

Ferretleap – cream-and-brown she-cat

Pineshade- tortoiseshell she-cat

Willowfire- reddish-brown she-cat (mother of Flamekit, a white tom with bright ginger paws; and Oakkit, a small dark brown tom)

Brightcloud- pale golden she-cat with black paws

Ivyfrost- green-eyed she-cat with dark gray fur

Littlepelt- very small light brown she-cat (expecting Appletail's kits)

Heatherfern- light brown tabby she-cat

Honeyheart- pure-white she-cat with amber eyes

**Elders (former warriors and queens, now retired)**

Poppyfern- tortoiseshell-and-gray she-cat

Dawnfrost- pale gray tom

Beetlestorm- brown-and-white tabby tom

Toadfur- spotted brown tom with a graying muzzle

_**Update: I had to re-upload this because I forgot a name. It's there now, though.**_

_**Lightspark and Skymist belong to Silentbreeze20 (formerly Skymist20). Shadowclaw belongs to ShinigamiinPeru.**_

* * *

**"Breaking the News"**

Willowfire and Goldenstripe had always been close friends, and others often wondered if they had been expecting kits at the same time on purpose, which wasn't true. They hadn't even known that they were both expecting kits at the same time until one day when they were out hunting. It had been Goldenstripe's idea, since she wanted to give Willowfire the big news between the two of them.

They had stopped in a clearing for rest after catching two squirrels and a large vole between them. "There was a reason why I wanted to hunt with you today," Goldenstripe had meowed.

Concern swept across Willowfire's face. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine, but…" She hesitated, and then seemed to make up her mind, saying, "I'm expecting Stormstrike's kits."

Willowfire's face lit up with delight. She purred, "How wonderful! I'm so happy for you! I guess now would be a good time to tell you that I'm expecting kits, too."

"No way!" the pale golden she-cat gasped. "We'll be in the nursery together."

"That's right. Oh, but I should have you know that I already kind of suspected that you were expecting kits," Willowfire said sheepishly.

"What?" Confusion clouded Goldenstripe's face.

Willowfire quickly explained, "I mean, your belly is already swelling a lot. You're probably going to have a lot of kits to care for."

"When is caring for kits ever a bad thing?" Goldenstripe purred.

"When they try to sneak out of camp by coming up with some evil scheme," Willowfire replied good-humoredly.

Goldenstripe moved to the nursery less than a quarter-moon later. Willowfire followed a short time after that.


	6. Chapter 6: The Apprentices

After the ceremonies and congratulations were over and done with, Goldenpaw and her littermates were told to head over to the apprentices' den by the former apprentices. They crowded into the small den, which was actually just a collection of bushes with enough space inside for at least ten cats to sleep.

"Pick a space for your nest, everyone," instructed Hollytail, one of the new warriors.

"Or you could just use our old nests. They're still in decent condition," suggested Silverstrike.

Goldenpaw moved away from the others and closed her eyes. She took a long, deep breath, and her nostrils were filled with the scents of the new warriors, along with the fresh scent of her littermates running around the den, picking their own sleeping places. A sweet, pleasant smell caught her attention, and she opened her eyes and followed it. The scent led her to a nest that was a bit away from the others, in one of the den's corners. It was made of moss and lined with soft feathers. She circled it, taking in the scent, when she realized that she was being watched.

She looked up, in the direction of the warriors, who were still sitting by the entrance to the den, watching. A cream-furred tom was watching her, his eyes and twitching whiskers displaying his amusement. When she met his eyes, he crossed the den to meet her.

"Do you remember me?" he asked, sitting in front of her. "I used to change the bedding in the nursery with the other apprentices, so you probably recognize my scent." He nodded to the nest she had been examining. "That one was mine. I kept to the corner as far from the others as possible because Hollytail snores really loud."

Both his and Goldenpaw's whiskers twitched. "I hope you don't mind me keeping your nest, but if I didn't get it, someone else would, right?" He shrugged in reply. "I'm sorry, but who are you again?"

His head tipped to one side. "Weren't you watching my warrior ceremony?"

Embarrassed, she said, "My memory stinks. Besides, there were a bunch of ceremonies, and a bunch of new names to remember."

"Well, I'm Patchclaw. Got it memorized?" He spoke good-humoredly, and the longer the conversation dragged on, the more Goldenpaw came to like him.

"I'm Goldenpaw."

"I know. I was paying attention during the ceremony, unlike _some_ cats," he joked. He stood on all four paws and dipped his head politely. "Well, I've got to pick my own nest out, now that I'm moving to the warriors' den." He lingered for a few moments longer, then glanced at his old nest longingly. "Or I could just take this one with me."

She rolled her eyes. "Get out of here, bird-brain."

He sighed, "I can't believe it. I just met you and you're already taking my stuff."

"We're leaving, Patchclaw," Hollytail called, waving her tail as she followed Silverstrike out.

"I'm coming!" he called back. "I guess I should probably go now. Later!" he called back over his shoulder as he turned and walked out, waving his dark cream tail in farewell.

Goldenpaw's heart flooded with warmth as she watched him leave. "Bye!" she called after him.

Crowpaw and Mossypaw crossed over as soon as he was out of earshot. "Do you like him?" Mossypaw demanded. Goldenpaw stared at her paws, embarrassed at having shown possible feelings of affection in front of others.

"She totally does," Crowpaw stated.

"It's pretty pathetic that you fell in love with a tom for the first time just by talking to him," Mossypaw said, flashing Goldenpaw a look that seemed to say that she should feel guilty about it.

"It's not like that!" Goldenpaw argued, her ears feeling hot. "You're always so quick to judge. I was going to use his old nest, and that was the only reason he talked to me in the first place."

She stormed out of the den and skidded to a stop when she almost crashed into Willowfire. "Sorry," she muttered as she slipped past. She decided that she would slip out through the dirt-place tunnel and find a safe place to think.

Meanwhile, still in the apprentices' den, Mossypaw and Crowpaw continued to insult their littermate. Mossypaw insisted, "We've got to set her straight before she gets too involved with him too soon," Crowpaw nodded in agreement. "We just have to make sure that they stay apart." The sisters decided that never would Goldenpaw go on patrol with Patchclaw, or be with him any way otherwise.

Goldenpaw continued across the clearing, but before she reached the dirt-place tunnel, she realized that she was being followed. She turned around and saw Flamekit staring up at her with his big blue eyes.

"Where are you going?" Flamekit asked.

"Out," she replied. She didn't want to tell him too much, even though she trusted him.

"Can I come, too?" he asked. She shook her head. "Please? I won't be trouble." He gave her a pleading look that normally she wouldn't refuse.

"Flamekit, you know the rule. Kits can't go out of camp until they're apprenticed." She hated talking to an old friend like this, as if she were on a completely different level than them.

"Then will you at least come back to the nursery for a while? We can play that game where we have to catch the ball of moss. It'll be fun," he begged.

She sighed and twitched her tail-tip impatiently. She was normally very patient, but right here and now, she just wanted to be left alone. "I can't play now, Flamekit. I'm busy." He whimpered, but she refused to be a pushover. "Go play with your brother. I promise I'll play with you another time." With that, she turned and padded out through the dirt-place tunnel, ignoring the foul stench, and sat under a tree, closing her eyes as she tried to gather her thoughts.

**Aw, poor Flamekit. He only wanted to play :( Poor Goldenpaw, too, though. She only wanted to be left alone.**

**Mossypaw and Crowpaw may seem mean, but they have the best intentions. :)**

**Let me know what you all think, too! Do you think GoldenXPatch should work out or not? How about Snakepaw and Toadpaw (who weren't mentioned by name in this chapter even though they ****_were_**** there, watching the drama)? Who should ****_they_**** end up with?**

**I hope you liked this chapter! I did. Heh, heh. Nya :3**


	7. Chapter 7: The Hunt

Early the next day, Mossypaw woke to the sound of her mentor's voice. "Wake up, Mossypaw! We're going out," he called. She slowly got up, yawning and stretching her legs out in the cramped space, accidentally kicking Toadpaw in the face.

Toadpaw grumbled, still half asleep, "I can't be with you, Pollenpaw. It's not going to work out." He batted his paws at the air in front of him. Mossypaw let out an exasperated sigh and tickled her brother's nose with her tail-tip until he woke up. "What do you want? I was having the best dream…"

"I'm going out with Appletail. Ask Fernfrost if you can come with us." Without waiting for a reply, she stepped over Crowpaw and started to leave the den. Pausing at the entrance, she turned her head slightly and teased, "You can tell me about this Pollenpaw cat later."

Once outside, she asked Appletail, "Do you think Fernfrost and Toadpaw can come with us?"

"That all depends on Fernfrost's plans for today," he replied. "I wanted to take you hunting, to see how you do on your first day out. That includes how well you take in your surroundings. I'm glad it's still leaf-fall. I have time to teach you how to hunt before leaf-bare. Also, most new apprentices get overenthusiastic and start rolling around in the snow. It's both amusing and annoying."

Mossypaw didn't know very much about Appletail, but he seemed like the type who thinks before he speaks. She found him very serious and proper, which probably made sense, considering he was one of the senior warriors. Before Mossypaw could think of a reply, a she-cat with long, white and pale gray fur approached them. Mossypaw recognized her as Toadpaw's mentor, Fernfrost.

"Do you have any plans for today?" Fernfrost asked. "I was just about to fetch Toadpaw to get started on his hunting training. I want him to be a decent enough hunter by leaf-bare."

"I just finished saying the same thing to Mossypaw. Why don't you come with us?" Appletail offered, glancing at Mossypaw. "Mossypaw wanted you and her brother to join us, anyway, so this little coincidence works out perfectly."

Fernfrost agreed, and went to fetch Toadpaw. When she returned, they headed out. Mossypaw felt butterflies in her stomach. This was the first time she would go outside of camp. It was the first time they'd leave camp with permission, anyway. Mossypaw and her littermates once dug a hole under the nursery wall and snuck out through a secret tunnel in the back.

Once outside, her eyes stretched out wide. Everything was so wonderful. The fresh, crisp breeze blew the yellow-, orange-, and red-leaved trees. The grass felt nicer beneath her paws. Everything was better than she'd imagined. She couldn't close her eyes for more than a moment because she was afraid that she might blink and wake up from this, which felt like something from a dream, as if it _were_ just a dream. With a glance at her littermate, she could tell that he felt the same way.

"Alright," said Appletail. "I know that your first real time out in the forest feels great and all, but I want you to catch at least two pieces of prey today, each."

"Appletail is right. I apologize in advance for our high expectations, but as you know, leaf-bare is right around the bend, so we'll need to stock up on prey," said Fernfrost.

"Furthermore," Appletail continued, "in order to stock up on prey, we need good hunters. Naturally, some warriors are gifted hunters, while others are gifted fighters. However, both must accommodate for their weaknesses. Understood?"

"Yes," Mossypaw and Toadpaw replied.

"We'll head down by the stream and start there. First, you'll show us your hunting technique, and then we'll correct it," Fernfrost said without asking Appletail what he thought of the plan. "Let's go!"

Fernfrost bolted through the trees, heading downwind at blinding speed. Mossypaw and Toadpaw knew they had no hope of catching up to her, but they ran after Appletail, who wasn't running as fast, and went as fast as their own small paws could take them. They stopped running when they almost crashed into their mentors, who had stopped and were waiting for them.

Toadpaw panted, "Is this it?"

Ignoring his question, Fernfrost ordered, "Drop into a hunter's crouch, both of you."

Exhausted from running, Mossypaw dropped into the best hunter's crouch she could manage. Toadpaw's crouch was especially sloppy. Their mentors both sighed. It would be more difficult than they had imagined.

"Stop lashing your tail," Appletail corrected Mossypaw, "and don't breathe so heavily."

"I'm exhausted, though," Mossypaw complained. "I don't think I've ever run so fast."

"Stop complaining," Appletail said. "Try it again." Mossypaw's next attempt was much better, so Appletail left her to practice stalking leaves and watched Toadpaw and Fernfrost. Toadpaw's crouch was so awful that Appletail snorted. Fernfrost glared at him and corrected her apprentice as much as possible.

When he was decent enough, Fernfrost declared, "Time for some real practice. Let's hunt," and soundlessly crept forward to peer out at the stream. "What do you smell?" she asked Toadpaw.

Toadpaw closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Nothing," he frowned. Fernfrost checked the air herself and nodded in agreement.

"Let's try someplace else," Appletail suggested. "Our territory is huge, so we have plenty of spaces to check for prey. Let's head further downstream, where the trees are thicker. It's warmer there, which is another reason why prey would burrow there."

Everyone followed Appletail down the gently sloping land, travelling silently through the trees beside the stream at a steady pace. Sure enough, prey was more abundant downstream than upstream, and by the time they returned to camp, both apprentices had met their mentors' goal of two pieces of prey each.

Mossypaw carried a small pigeon and a mouse by its tail, and Toadpaw carried three mice by their tails. Their mentors told them to take part of their catch to the elders' den. Mossypaw gave Poppyfern her pigeon, which wasn't big enough to share, and Toadpaw left two of his mice for the others to share.

Tired but satisfied, Mossypaw and Toadpaw shared two plump voles, and then retired to the apprentices' den to sleep, even though it was only around sunset.

**I hope you liked this chapter! Sorry that it isn't very long. :( Anyway, let me know what you think!**

**As you saw, this chapter is about Mossypaw and Toadpaw the day after the ceremonies. I thought that I should include Toadpaw because he doesn't really have such an important role to play at the moment. **

**Time to reply to your reviews! :3**

** ShinigamiinPeru: I like to think of it like that, like they were supposed to meet and be together :) Let's see what happens!**

** Rebel Islander: Thank you for reviewing! I'm glad you like my story so far, and I hope you'll continue to read it :) I wanted to make Goldenpaw and Patchclaw seem like they're a perfect match, even though Mossypaw and Crowpaw are being annoying about it. Haha :3 Also, two of Littlepelt's kits will be she-cats. Coincidence? We'll see!**

**I hope you'll all keep the reviews coming in :) I'm happy to hear that my readers like the story as of now! Thanks a bunch! Nya :3**


	8. Chapter 8: Snakepaw's Misery

Snakepaw woke up early the day after the ceremony; so early that no one was awake yet except for the new warriors who were keeping vigil. Bored and alone before dawn, Snakepaw had no choice but to return to his nest for more sleep.

By the time he woke up again, the nest was almost empty, except for him and Goldenpaw, who probably intended to snooze every moment until her mentor came to wake her up. That was another thing about Goldenpaw that he envied. Her mentor was Thornstar, the Clan's leader. She seemed carefree and content all the time. Seeing her sad about not becoming a medicine cat apprentice was uncharacteristic, or so Snakepaw used to think. Recently, he had begun to think that cats changed as they aged, but hadn't been able to think of any ways that he had changed himself. Wondering why his mentor hadn't woken him up, he went to find him.

Before he left, though, he hissed in Goldenpaw's ear, "Wake up. Don't you want to leave camp for the first time?"

Goldenpaw woke up as he spoke, and grumbled, "Went on the dawn patrol. Too tired to wake up now." Goldenpaw's breathing slowed and she dozed off again as Snakepaw padded out of the den.

Snakepaw looked around the clearing, but Owlnose was nowhere to be found, so he padded across to the warriors' den. Poking his head inside, he blinked to adjust to the dimmer light inside. Owlnose wasn't in there, either, so he backed out and peered into the elders' den, where Poppyfern and Dawnfrost were gossiping. Two older elders were asleep. Poppyfern watched him as he stepped in. "Yes?" she asked.

"Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you knew where Owlnose is. He didn't wake me up this morning, and he's not in the warriors' den or the clearing."

Dawnfrost replied, "He's probably in the nursery." He paused and said, "He hasn't taken you out at all today?" Snakepaw shook his head in reply. "That's strange. He usually puts his duties before his personal needs."

"Is Heatherfern expecting kits again?" Poppyfern wondered.

"Why else would he visit the nursery?"

"Littlepelt's kits are almost due."

"That's true."

Snakepaw dipped his head politely and backed out of the den, leaving them to continue their gossip. He crossed over to the nursery and took light steps as he entered, just in case the kits were asleep. They weren't.

"Snakepaw!" Flamekit squeaked excitedly. "Are you here to play with us? Where's Goldenpaw?"

"I can't play with you now, kits. As for your other question, Goldenpaw went on the dawn patrol, so she's probably still asleep right now," he replied.

Flamekit frowned, and Snakepaw stepped around him and his littermate. Surely enough, Owlnose was at the back of the nursery with Heatherfern, who usually wasn't in the nursery. Owlnose hadn't noticed him yet, so he approached and cleared his throat to announce his presence. Owlnose turned around and blinked at him in surprise. "Oh, it's you," he said.

"Yes, it's me," he replied, growing irritated. "It's halfway through the day, and you haven't taken me out for the first time."

"Oh, that's right. I've got an apprentice now," Owlnose said, sounding rather stupid to Snakepaw.

"Yes, and your apprentice wants to go outside now, so can we please go outside?" Snakepaw said through gritted teeth.

"You want to hear something cool?" Owlnose asked, ignoring Snakepaw's question.

"What?"

"Heatherfern is expecting kits again," he purred happily, rubbing his pointed muzzle against Heatherfern's. "You're the first apprentice to know, you know? It's quite an honor, you know? Being a father is great, you know?"

Snakepaw became very annoyed. Owlnose was the dumbest, most immature senior warrior he'd ever met, even though he'd get in trouble for saying it out loud.

"Kits become apprentices, you know? Apprentices become warriors, and those warriors swear loyalty to the Clan," Owlnose informed Snakepaw, acting as though he couldn't possibly have known that.

"Yes, I know. Can we go now?" Snakepaw's mentor was trying his patience.

"I can't possibly leave Heatherfern!" Owlnose actually seemed completely outraged, as though his mate needed him there all the time, even though she had just moved to the nursery.

"You don't have to be with me all the time, Owlnose. Your apprentice needs you more than I do right now," Heatherfern said, her voice calm and gentle.

"Okay, then. Come on, Snakepaw," Owlnose said. "Let's go out, okay?" The fact that Owlnose's mind was so quick to change made Snakepaw hate him even more.

By the time they'd returned to camp, Snakepaw was hardly even tired. Owlnose had taken him far upstream, where the air made him feel like it was leaf-bare already, and had tried to show him how to fish. The persistent warrior had made him sit and watch the water for fish practically all day. Even though Snakepaw had kept insisting that there weren't any fish there, Owlnose looked into the water with fierce determination. Thinking back at his apprentice ceremony, Snakepaw remembered that Owlnose's determination and strength were recognized, and didn't even have to wonder why. When they'd been travelling back to the camp, empty-pawed, of course, Owlnose kept on rambling about how his and Heatherfern's kits would be adorable and wonderful and smart, while Snakepaw thought that surely no kit of Owlnose's could be smart.

Back at camp, Owlnose told Snakepaw to get something to eat, since he'd done such a wonderful job for the day. Snakepaw couldn't believe his ears, but got a small pigeon from the pile anyway. He had hardly exercised at all, so he wasn't very hungry. Looking around for his littermates, he saw none of them. Sticking his head in the apprentices' den, he saw that Mossypaw and Toadpaw were fast asleep, while Goldenpaw was gone.

He jumped in surprise when Crowpaw poked her head in beside his. "What's up, Snakepaw?" He stepped back out of the den to talk to Crowpaw without waking the others up.

"My mentor is an idiot," he whispered into her ear, glancing around to make sure that no one noticed.

"You really think so? I spoke to Owlnose before I left with Cedarstorm this morning. He was nice, and seemed very friendly."

"More like irritating, to me," Snakepaw grumbled.

His littermate's ears pricked. "Why? What happened?"

"He didn't wake me up, and was in the nursery with Heatherfern when I woke up and found him. Don't most mentors look for their apprentices, and not the other way around?"

"I suppose. When I woke up, Mossypaw and Toadpaw were gone. Goldenpaw was fast asleep, but that's because Thornstar woke her up for the dawn patrol this morning."

"I know. I woke her up because I didn't know about that. I got up really late today," Snakepaw said.

"I got up when Goldenpaw came back," Crowpaw replied.

As she spoke, Goldenpaw padded over to meet them. "Hi!" she greeted them, the pitch of her voice signaling that she was hyper. "I've just had the best day. I went to all sorts of places across the territory. Did you know that there's a nest where these things called 'Twolegs' come every once in a while? Thornstar told me that they're very dangerous and sloppy creatures. Sometimes they knock down trees, and get this! They take the trees with them in these things likes monsters. How bizarre! Rosefur was on the patrol, too, and she told me that they've taken cats before, so our patrol sizes usually increase when the Twolegs come. What'd you two do today?"

"Cedarstorm showed me around the territory," Crowpaw said.

Snakepaw groaned, "My mentor is a hyperactive idiot."

"You got Owlnose, right?" Goldenpaw checked. "I heard that he's a tough opponent in battle, but that he's a total pushover when it comes to his mate."

"You heard right," Snakepaw agreed, repeating what he said to Crowpaw. Goldenpaw's whiskers twitched in amusement. "That's not all, though. When we finally _did_ go out, he took me upstream to show me how to fish. We didn't see a single fish all day, but he insisted that we stay and watch the stream for fish. We sat there, staring at the water, until he said that it was time to go back."

"At least you got to catch up on your sleep," Crowpaw pointed out. Snakepaw glared at her.

"I'm going to go visit Willowfire and her kits," Goldenpaw said. "I've got energy to burn, and I promised Flamekit that I'd stop by and play with them."

**This chapter was exactly three pages long, not including what's in bold. That's pretty cool, considering I usually stop writing when I reach the third page. Haha :3**

**As for your previous reviews…**

** ShinigamiinPeru – Your comment inspired me to make one of their mentors a total idiot! Haha :)**

** Rebel Islander – Thanks! Glad you liked it! The new kits will be born somewhere within the next three chapters. :)**

** Bluefire8123 – Glad you liked it! I want to get as far into the story as I can, because of school and whatnot. I'll still upload chapters as frequently as possible, though. :)**

**I hope everyone liked this chapter! Let me know what you think!**


	9. Chapter 9: A Kit Again

**I hope everyone likes this chapter! Before it starts, I'm going to ramble a bit. I hope nobody minds :)**

**First off, I was curious and a bit surprised at some things. Nobody cared what happened to their mother, Goldenstripe! That's actually pretty hilarious, but still. Haha :3 Also, Dapplestripe was referred to by Goldenpaw **_**twice**_** in past chapters, and you know she's alive because she's in the allegiances, but nobody wonders about her, either. You, my readers and reviewers, are awesomely amusing! :D Anyhow, I'm going to answer the questions none of you have bothered asking in the next chapters. **

**On another note, I apologize for all these filler chapters. :( The plot hasn't really developed, but hey, at least you're getting to know the characters, right? I figured I was overdue for another chapter, since you're probably getting used to my frequent updates and it's been a few days since my last one. **

**I hope that whoever didn't skip this ramble didn't find it too blunt or ignorant, as that wasn't my intention. :) I'll be answering your reviews from the previous chapter at the end of this chapter. Please don't scroll down before you've read it. I don't want to spoil anything. :) Thanks to all of you for your reviews! They make me very happy :) The purpose of this ramble was solely to address something that was bugging me. Read on! :D**

**(This chapter is GoldenXPatch, so I think it's important to the plot. :) Yes, GoldenXPatch **_**is**_** important to the story, but all good things must come to an end, right? (I hope that wasn't a huge teaser or spoiler.) Well, there's not much harm in telling you that GoldenXPatch happens after all, but she's only six moons, so it's just, like, a mild attraction. :) Patchclaw isn't supposed to seem like a pedophile. Heh heh. :3)**

In the dim light, Patchclaw reached a paw into the apprentice den and prodded her awake. "Huh?" Goldenpaw groggily grumbled.

"It's me," he hissed. "Can you come out?"

She grunted in reply and soundlessly stumbled out of the den and around to the back of the apprentices' den, where Patchclaw sat waiting for her, his eyes bright. "I'm on the dawn patrol. Can you come?" he asked.

She groaned inwardly. Surely he didn't wake her up just to ask her _that_? She shrugged and said, "Fine. Don't wake me up so early next time! Why so sneaky? How'd you get your paw in through the back?"

He replied, "I made a hole through the corner once so that I could sneak out, but I don't fit through it anymore. Nobody knows about it except for the two of us. As for your other question, I don't want all the new apprentices to hate me because I woke them up before dawn just to ask you something."

She glared at him. "So that means that you don't think _I'd_ hate you because you woke _me_ up before dawn just to ask me something?"

He purred softly. "I'm fairly confident in myself."

"You seem fairly _full_ of yourself, too," she hissed.

He dipped his head slightly. "If that's what you want to think, it's fine." He tipped his head to one side, almost mockingly. "Shouldn't you be asleep if you're going on the dawn patrol?"

She glared at him again and shoved him slightly. "I could say the same to you."

"I know I _should_ get more sleep, but I usually wake up early if I fall asleep early, so it doesn't really matter if I'm going on the dawn patrol to me."

"Whatever. I'm going back to sleep." Goldenpaw carefully slipped back into the apprentices' den and into her nest. She dozed off again to the soft sound of Patchclaw padding away.

"Goldenpaw!" someone called, waking her up. "Let's go! You're on the dawn patrol again today." Blinking sleep from her eyes, she crossed the den and exited, finding herself face to face with her mentor, Thornstar. "Patchclaw asked me this morning if you could come along, but you were going anyway, so it didn't make a difference."

Goldenpaw grunted, feeling a mixture of irritation and frustration. Patchclaw didn't have to wake her up, after all. She was going on the dawn patrol either way.

"We're leaving now," Thornstar continued, "but if you're hungry, there's leftover prey on the pile." She shook her head. "Let's go, then." She followed her mentor to where the others were waiting, heading straight towards where Patchclaw was waiting.

He purred a greeting. "I guess you were going anyways."

"Thanks," she grumbled, irritated.

The dawn patrol set out, going around part of the territory before they returned to camp. As far as patrols go, this one was fun for Goldenpaw. She got to talk to Patchclaw a considerable amount, which irritated the other warriors that were patrolling with them, who kept trying to shut them up.

When the patrol returned, the sun was at the center of the sky. Goldenpaw didn't feel very tired, so she said her goodbyes to Patchclaw. "I'm going to the nursery," she said.

He tipped his head to one side. "Huh? Why?"

"I'm going to see Flamekit and the others," she answered, backing away. "See you around."

"Wait!" he called after her. She stopped and looked back as he padded towards her. "If you're not tired, we can go hunting or something."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't know how to hunt yet, mouse-brain."

"Oh, yeah," he muttered. "That was dumb of me. I'll teach you!"

"I'll have to pass." She dipped her head. "I'm going to the nursery. You can still go hunting alone, though." She didn't want him to feel rejected or anything, but her old friends were waiting. After she visited them yesterday, Flamekit made her promise to come back the following day.

Patchclaw narrowed his eyes and grumbled, "Fine, then."

Before she went to the nursery, though, she poked her head inside the apprentices' den, to see if any of her littermates wanted to join her. Crowpaw and Toadpaw were sharing tongues, and Snakepaw was asleep. "I'm going to play with the kits in the nursery," she hissed. "Want to join me?"

Toadpaw shook his head. Crowpaw said, "No, thanks. Why don't you fetch Lostpaw, though? He needs to exercise every once in a while."

"Fine," she replied. Backing out of the apprentices' den, she took her littermate's advice and stepped into the medicine den. Lostpaw was sitting beside his nest at the far corner of the den, digging at a random spot in the ground with small, gold-bracken paws. He lifted his nose and sniffed twice when she walked in, letting out a loud meow. As if on cue, Blacktail stepped out of the medicine store to meet their guest.

"What is it?" Blacktail asked, padding across to meet her. "Are you injured, or sick?"

"No," she answered, dipping her head in greeting. "I came to fetch Lostpaw so we can visit the nursery." For some reason, she felt uncomfortable, standing here in the medicine den with the medicine cat who wasn't her mentor like she'd hoped.

"That's quite alright. I've no use for him now. I doubt anyone else will visit while he's gone."

Goldenpaw felt a flash of defensiveness for her littermate. "So you just use him to tell you when someone comes? That's taking advantage of him!"

The medicine cat shrugged indifferently. "He started it himself. I don't make him do anything. He sits around all day. Come here," he told her, turning to walk over to Lostpaw. Goldenpaw followed him. "Look at this. He digs holes all day, and I don't know how to stop him. I've tried filling in the holes and patting them down, but he just digs different holes. I don't know what to do."

Blacktail wasn't exaggerating. Lostpaw looked fully concentrated on the task of digging holes. There were holes all around him, some already filled in, and others half filled. Beside every hole was a small mound of dirt.

"I'll bet he's just helplessly bored," Goldenpaw said. "I'll take him with me. It might help."

Blacktail nodded in agreement. "Feel free to take him away. I don't mind, as long as he eats and returns here before dusk. He could be out all day, for all I care." Blacktail waved his tail in farewell as he turned and retreated into the medicine store.

Goldenpaw pressed her nose against Lostpaw's ear and blocked his paw just as he was about to continue digging. Wrapping her tail across his shoulders, she nudged him to his paws and guided him outside. On the way to the nursery, Goldenpaw wondered if Lostpaw would have to spend his life in the medicine den, digging holes and announcing the arrival of other cats into his den.

Ducking inside the nursery, with Lostpaw following, she meowed a greeting to Willowfire and the other queens. Flamekit bounced over to her, Oakkit following close behind. "Hi, Goldenpaw!" he squeaked.

"Hello, kits," she greeted in reply. The four of them spent the day playing various games. Lostpaw was able to participate in most of them, thanks to Goldenpaw's adjustments to the rules, and looked slightly worn out as well by the time the day ended. Returning Lostpaw to his nest in the medicine den, Goldenpaw returned to her own nest in the apprentices' den, groomed herself quickly, and dozed off.

**I hope everyone liked this chapter! Since my reviewers seem to love Lostpaw, I decided to include him in this chapter. I also introduced a new trend: medicine den digging! Hurrah!**

** ShinigamiinPeru – Haha :3 Well, if everyone was an idiot, MountainClan would probably have some problems, you know? Lol :)**

** Simply peachy – Thank you so much! That means a lot! :D Eventually there **_**will**_** be a special Lostpaw chapter, especially since he seems to attract a lot of attention. :3 Anyway, I hope you'll continue to read the story! :)**

** Skymist20 – Thanks, Skymist! I try updating as frequently as I can! :)**

** Rebel Islander – Thanks! Glad you liked it :) Owlnose is going to be a "special" character. He isn't very bright, but is still a valuable warrior. He's awesome in battle! :) I was going for the whole "amusingly stupid" view. Glad it worked. Haha :)**

**Thanks for all your reviews! I really appreciate them. I hope everyone keeps reading and reviewing! Letting me know what you think helps me to improve the story. :) **

**We broke our review record! Four reviews for a single chapter in a single day! *Insert random excited expression here.* :)**


	10. Chapter 10: A Dim Dawn

**Hi everyone! Thanks for reading! I hope you like this chapter. :)**

**(Warning: This chapter is VERY important to the plot, and takes place a few days after the last chapter. Two important things happen here. First, a mystery is born. Second… it's prophecy time!)**

Goldenpaw woke up a while before dawn for some reason, and saw that Mossypaw and Snakepaw were awake, too. They whispered quietly. Why did they both wake up so early? Why didn't they seem tired? What was so important that they had to talk about it at this time?

Goldenpaw silently approached them. Noticing her coming, Mossypaw spoke faster, finishing her last statement before Goldenpaw was close enough to hear their light whispers. "What?" she hissed, taking care not to wake Crowpaw and Toadpaw. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," they quickly replied. Snakepaw shot Mossypaw a glance, and she gave a nod so small that Goldenpaw almost thought she'd imagined it.

"Why are you awake so early?" she persisted.

"Excuse me," Mossypaw said, ignoring her sister's question and slipping silently out of the den.

"What about you?" she growled. What was going on? Snakepaw tried slipping past Goldenpaw to follow Mossypaw out, but she extended her golden tail to block his way out. "Did something happen?"

Snakepaw sighed in defeat. "Yes, but it's none of your business. Besides, I swore not to tell anyone. I'm sorry." Goldenpaw decided to let him go. He wasn't going to tell her anything. What was going on? He padded soundlessly past her and out of the den. Goldenpaw returned to her nest and eventually dozed off.

In her dreams, Goldenpaw was running through a lush green meadow, feeling peaceful and content. "Stop!" a voice called out to her. "Don't go that way!" She turned her head back as she ran, but saw no one. When she turned back, she saw that the grass had begun to wither; the number of dead grass blades increased in the direction she was running. Where was this? Then the sky started to go dark, and her throat clogged up as she felt a heavy, crushing feeling.

"Someone help!" She woke to a loud screech. "I can't find Dapplestripe!"

Outside her den, she heard clusters of paw-steps, seeming to be running frantically around the camp. She blinked sleep out of her eyes as she stood and stretched, but nothing could shake the fearful feeling she'd had right before she'd woken up. What was going on outside? As if her mind had been asleep and was just waking up, she realized that she was staring, watching her littermates wake up and run out of their den. "Come on, Goldenpaw! Something's wrong!" Crowpaw called back at her over her shoulder.

Goldenpaw raced after her littermates, suddenly remembering the first thing she'd heard after she'd woken up. _"I can't find Dapplestripe!"_ Dapplestripe was missing? No wonder everyone was so panicked! Outside the den, in the clearing, Thornstar was trying to calm everyone down.

"It's going to be just fine, everyone. We'll send out search parties. We'll find her!" he vowed, as if those words alone would reassure everyone. Thornstar called for his deputy. "Stormstrike, organize the patrols!"

Goldenpaw's father joined Thornstar at the center of the large crowd. "Calm down, everyone, and listen up," Stormstrike ordered. "The first patrol will include Cedarstorm, Lightspark, Owlnose, Snakepaw, and Brightcloud. The second patrol will include Appletail, Rosefur, Littlefire, Mossypaw, and Snowstrike. The third patrol will include Ferretleap, Toadpaw, Patchclaw, Shadowclaw, and Tigerstorm. The fourth patrol will include Minnowstream, Hollytail, Poppynose, and Thornstar. Everyone else will be either on border patrol or hunting patrols."

Thornstar nodded his agreement and said, "Make sure you all spread out. Check everywhere a cat could hide. Stormstrike will be in charge of camp until I return." All the patrols left camp, and the clearing soon became almost completely empty.

Goldenpaw joined the smaller crowd that was forming around her father. "Now I'm going to assign the regular patrols," he said. "They're going to be smaller than our usual patrols, since we're short of warriors and can't leave our queens, kits, medicine cat, and elders alone here. The dawn patrol will be Hollowfoot, Ivyfrost, and Crowpaw. On a hunting patrol will be Silverstrike, Skymist, and Goldenpaw. After they return, another hunting patrol will set out. The search patrols will probably be hungry after running all over the territory. We'll decide that next patrol after both patrols return." He nodded. "That's it. Set out when you're ready."

He padded over to where Blacktail was sitting, in front of the medicine den and exchanged a few words with him. Blacktail nodded and poked his head into the nursery, guiding Heatherfern, the heavily swollen-bellied Littlepelt, Willowfire and her kits, and the remaining queens to the apprentices' den. Then he went to the elders' den and guided the elders to the apprentices' den, too. Finally, he fetched Lostpaw and half-guided, half-shoved him into the apprentices' den. Stormstrike stood at the entrance as a guard, and Blacktail returned to his den.

Goldenpaw left with Silverstrike and Skymist to hunt. She'd never actually carried out an actual conversation with either of them, so she didn't know much about them. "Where are we going to go?" Goldenpaw asked. The search patrols were probably scaring all the prey in the territory into their burrows.

"Well, I've never been on a patrol without anyone older than me to tell me what to do," Silverstrike said.

"Neither have I," Skymist agreed.

Goldenpaw remembered that these cats had just been named warriors a few days ago, and she had just been named an apprentice.

"Let's check out the stream," Skymist suggested, breaking the confused silence. "It'll have to be downstream, though, because everyone knows that it's harder to catch fish upstream."

"It'll be hard to catch anything anyway, since the search patrols are all over the place," Silverstrike pointed out.

They set off towards the stream at a steady pace. It was quiet, almost too quiet, as though none of the patrols had gone in this direction at all. "Um… anyone else got a strange feeling?" Skymist asked with a touch of nervousness.

"You're probably just nervous because we're leading a patrol," Silverstrike replied, seeming just as unnerved. They continued towards the stream.

When they had reached a shady spot downstream, which was also completely deserted, a shriek escaped Silverstrike's mouth. She was staring at something in the near distance, some thick lump of… fur? Goldenpaw bolted towards the object, which was floating in the stream. She heard Skymist following her. Silverstrike was rooted to the spot, helplessly terrified.

Sure enough, floating in the water, patches of her fur caked with blood that turned the surrounding water red, was Dapplestripe. Goldenpaw whimpered subconsciously. Still, somehow, she knew what she had to do. "Fetch Blacktail!" she yelled to Silverstrike. The terrified silver she-cat immediately ran back in the direction of camp. "Help me get her out!" she ordered Skymist, who gulped and nodded.

Stepping into the water, the two young she-cats carefully managed to get the older she-cat out onto the grass. Goldenpaw began licking the blood out of Dapplestripe's fur, and Skymist joined her. She had small claw marks on her arms and legs, and the mark of a small bite in her belly area. However, something wasn't quite right about this. She was still bleeding. It took a moment for Goldenpaw to process this, but then she realized that Dapplestripe was still alive.

"She's still bleeding," Skymist muttered, looking prepared to vomit.

"I'll handle this. Stay back," Goldenpaw ordered. Skymist backed away and turned to watch the stream. Remembering that it was bloody, she turned around and stayed in the trees, her light brown pelt still barely visible.

"I have to stop the bleeding," Goldenpaw muttered to no one in particular. What was she supposed to use for that? Where was Silverstrike with the _real_ medicine cat?

Goldenpaw turned into the trees, feeling slightly guilty for leaving Dapplestripe unconscious and bleeding, and then found a bundle of thick leaves. Goldenpaw picked as many as she could and headed back, her jaws full. The herbs tasted awful, but she refused to let herself spit them out. She covered Dapplestripe's bleeding wounds with as much as the leaves as she could, then sat back.

Seriously, where _was_ Silverstrike? There was a rustling in the leaves, and Blacktail emerged. He took in the situation in an instant, and his eyes widened. "You did this yourself?" he asked in disbelief. She nodded. "Good work," he muttered, checking over what she'd done; spreading the herbs more here; clumping them together more there.

"Skymist?" he called out, turning around.

"Yes?" She came out from the trees, batting a leaf off her one dark brown ear.

"I need you to find one of the patrols and tell them that we've found Dapplestripe. Tell them to send a good tracker to find another patrol, and lead them back here. Silverstrike," he turned to the silver she-cat, "I need you to report this to Stormstrike. He was in the apprentices' den with the others, but he should have heard us leave and come out again. Tell him, but make sure he doesn't come here. We can't leave the camp unguarded."

Skymist and Silverstrike set off in different directions, leaving Goldenpaw and Blacktail alone. "How did you know to do this?" Blacktail demanded as soon as they were out of earshot.

"Um… instinct, I guess," she replied sheepishly. She just knew what to do without knowing _how_ she knew what to do.

Blacktail snorted. "I guess you've got strong instincts, then."

They sat in silence, waiting for other cats to join them, when Blacktail asked, "Do you feel upset that I didn't choose you as an apprentice?"

Goldenpaw blinked her blue eyes in surprise. She answered, "Yes, but I'm fine now." She turned and looked straight ahead, towards the trees on the opposite side of the stream. "It's not a big deal."

Blacktail's eyes closed and he began nodding slowly. This strange act ended when the sound of approaching paw-steps was heard. Silverstrike came back with Thornstar's patrol streaming behind her. So that was why she didn't return, they realized. She went to fetch one of the patrols. Soon Skymist had returned too, with Appletail's patrol behind her.

Thornstar looked outraged. "Who did this?" he demanded, even though it was obvious that none of them knew. No one else said anything, and Skymist and Silverstrike left to fetch the remaining two patrols. By this time, the dawn patrol would be returning to camp, and would also be informed of Dapplestripe's "incident".

The two young warriors returned with Ferretleap's and Cedarstorm's patrols. The three warriors explained to the gathered cats how they were out hunting and got a bad feeling. They said the area was empty and eerily quiet, and that Silverstrike saw a lump of fur in the water. They ran over to it, and saw who it was and that she was injured, but still alive.

"Actually, that was Goldenpaw," Skymist admitted. "She sent Silverstrike to get Blacktail, and she covered Dapplestripe's wounds with leaves. I felt squeamish, so I wasn't much help in the long run."

Goldenpaw stared at her paws, her ears flattened with embarrassment, as some of the warriors gave her nods and glances of approval. "We still have to get her back to camp, you know," Blacktail pointed out bluntly. The stronger warriors carefully and slowly carried Dapplestripe back to camp under Blacktail's instruction.

Back in camp, a Clan meeting was held, and the stories were repeated. That night, Goldenpaw got a good night's sleep, but it wasn't the same way for Blacktail, who was tormented by an awful dream. He was in StarClan's forest, he was sure of that, but the usual light was replaced with darkness. Out in the distance, he saw a bright light, and raced towards it, hearing the voices of all of StarClan speaking at the same time.

"_A golden star with light the path, even though it is filled with hate. Like the sun and the moon, together but separate, the light will sometimes be dead to the darkness."_

**I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! It's the longest chapter so far, by far! I also hope everyone likes that prophecy. I think it sounds cool! :D Hurrah!**

**Time to answer your reviews:**

** ShinigamiinPeru – Glad you liked it! I try updating as quickly as I can. If Lostpaw didn't get any exercise, he'd get… pudgy. Not that there's anything wrong with pudgy Warrior cats! It's twice the fluff :) Still, though, the fresh-kill will go straight to his thighs if I don't write about his exercising. Just kidding! :)**

** unknown – Considering the number of warriors in the regular Clans, that's a normal amount. Usually one Clan has more than another, and everything like that. Think about it: they live on a mountain, so their territory is **_**huge**_**, and there are no other groups of cats on their mountain. All of them live together in MountainClan because, well, it's just… safer. Also, I wouldn't say there are **_**too**_** many. It depends on the ages of the current cats and whether they are male or female. Therefore, judging on the past generation, plus the original Warrior Clans, the amount of warriors in my fanfiction is only a bit above average. :)**

** Graywhisper – Lostpaw was born deaf, and due to his accident (you'll find out soon enough what I'm talking about), he's now blind too. They couldn't leave him to waste away, so Blacktail took him on as an apprentice, instead of Goldenpaw, his original choice. It seems like everyone likes Lostpaw these days. Haha :)**


	11. Chapter 11: Of Kits and Other Things

A moon had passed since Dapplestripe was found, bleeding, in the stream. Her wounds were closed by now, but she was terrified at the sight of other warriors. Who had attacked her, and why? Thornstar and the senior warriors were trying their hardest to find the one who'd caused the incident, but so far, no one had come up with anything. If anyone tried to suspect a Clan-mate, their theories were quickly brushed aside. No one wanted to know that a Clan-mate was a traitor, even if it was true.

The commotion from outside woke the apprentices up. They clustered together at the den entrance, poking their heads out to see what was going on. They looked out soon enough to see Blacktail running from the medicine den to the nursery, a leaf bundle in his mouth.

"Littlepelt's kits must be coming," Goldenpaw said.

"Yeah, that's probably it," Mossypaw shrugged.

"Let's go wait outside," Crowpaw suggested.

"I'm too tired," Toadpaw groaned.

"So don't come, then," Mossypaw retorted.

"No, I'll go," he said. "New kits don't come so often."

They pushed and shoved each other out, still clustered together, and spread out once outside. They all padded over to sit outside of the nursery, scattering when they reached the large crowd in front of it. Goldenpaw padded around the outside of the crowd, looking for someone in particular. When she found Patchclaw at the back of the crowd with Silverstrike, she sat next to him.

"Hi," she meowed in greeting. "Are you waiting to see Littlepelt's kits, too?"

She had figured that was a good way to start a conversation, but she should've known Patchclaw would've made a clever reply.

"No, I usually sit in front of the nursery early in the morning, don't you?" he joked.

His littermate sighed, shaking her head disapprovingly. "You're such a jerk, Patchclaw," she mumbled loudly enough for both of them to hear.

"No, it's fine," Goldenpaw purred. "I should've expected that."

Silverstrike sighed again. "He's my brother, and even _I_ find him annoying." She looked Goldenpaw directly in the eyes. "I'm amazed that he hasn't scared you off yet."

Goldenpaw tipped her head to one side, a bit surprised. "That's enough of that," Patchclaw growled.

"Why don't we talk about the kits?" Goldenpaw suggested, trying to ease the mood.

Patchclaw looked relieved. "Yeah, let's do that. What do you think their names will be?" he asked.

Goldenpaw shrugged. "It all depends on what they look like, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, that's right. Didn't your parents name your brother Lostkit? Why was that?"

A distant look crept into Goldenpaw's eyes, and she turned to the nursery. "I don't know, honestly," she admitted. She turned back to him. "I could ask Stormstrike later," she offered.

At that moment, Mossypaw and Crowpaw stepped out from the crowd and approached her. "Hello," they greeted. Crowpaw asked, "What's up?"

Without giving her a chance to reply, Mossypaw said, "We found something strange at the back of camp the other day. It's a secret tunnel that leads outside of camp." Crowpaw glanced at her nervously.

Goldenpaw tipped her head to one side. "Okay? What about it?"

"We, uh, wanted you to see it?" Crowpaw said, seeming a bit confused too.

Mossypaw nodded. "It's _really_ cool," she elaborated, "because we can use it to go out at any time. We can go out without anyone finding out. Won't that be fun?"

Goldenpaw shook her head. "Then we'll be too tired in the morning and we'll lag behind in our training and during patrols," she reasoned. "I don't want to see it. It's best to avoid temptation."

Crowpaw looked relieved, and Mossypaw glared at her. "Come with us to sit at the front of the crowd, Goldenpaw," she purred. "We'll be the first ones to see the new kits when they're born."

"Are you just trying to lure me away?" Goldenpaw sighed. "I'm fine right here."

Mossypaw and Crowpaw gave up and settled behind her, interrupting every conversation with Patchclaw and Silverstrike she tried to start. Goldenpaw glanced at them, embarrassed. Why were her littermates stalking her? What had _she_ done to _them_?

Soon Blacktail poked his head out of the nursery, calling to Appletail, who was patiently waiting by the entrance. Appletail stepped inside, and after a few moments of silence, Blacktail started calling the crowd in to see the new kits, two cats at a time.

When it was Goldenpaw's turn, she entered with Silverstrike and met the new kits. Littlepelt purred, "These are our new kits. Tinykit," she pointed with her tail to a very small light brown tom. "Dawnkit," she looked down at a light brown she-kit.

"The light brown tom is Shrewkit, the ginger she-kit is Redkit, and the ginger tom is Scorchkit," Appletail finished proudly.

"They're so cute!" Silverstrike remarked, watching the sleeping newborn kits warmly. Goldenpaw purred in agreement.

After every cat had seen the new kits, Thornstar officially welcomed them to the Clan. After that, Stormstrike organized the daily patrols.

Before leaving on a hunting patrol, Goldenpaw called, "Stormstrike!" He turned to her, and she padded over to him.

"What is it, Goldenpaw?" he asked.

Goldenpaw always found Stormstrike easy to talk to, so she came out and asked, "Why would you name a kit Lostkit?"

Stormstrike's eyes widened. "_That's_ what you wanted to know?" he purred, clearly amused. She nodded. "Well, it's really very simple. It was your mother's idea, actually. We named him that because he wasn't responding to her voice and kept straying away from her belly."

"So it wasn't anything to do with his disabilities?" she inquired.

"Of course it wasn't. We didn't even know he was deaf," he admitted calmly. "Then Blacktail tested him, and that was when we found out. Sometimes I wonder if we cursed him, naming him that," Stormstrike sighed. "Lostpaw is now deaf _and_ blind. What a shame." He frowned.

"At least he's still around, right?" Goldenpaw said optimistically.

"Yes. At least he's still around."

**I hope everyone liked this chapter! It was kind of pointless, I know, but at least you got to see the new kits. :) Flamekit and Oakkit weren't in this chapter, but they're about four moons old now. They have two moons to go before their ceremony. **

**The time has come, everyone, to speak of other things! (That was a reference to something. Let's see if anyone recognizes it.)**

** Rebel Islander – Thanks! I'm glad you liked it, as I always say! :) I came up with the prophecy as I wrote that chapter, so I guess I could've put some more thought into it, but I'm glad you liked it anyway! :) If I'd killed Dapplestripe off before you all knew why it was such a big deal when she disappeared, I'd feel bad about it. Haha :3 I mean, why would everyone make such a big deal about someone with her warrior name disappearing? Warriors can take care of themselves, right? Something must be wrong there…. **

** Skymist20 – It's hard to tell right now, with the only evidence being **_**small**_** bite and claw marks. Besides that, there weren't any distinguishable scents on her. They were either wiped off from the stream, or… MountainClan scents! Which is it? Who did it? What's going to happen? We'll see! :D**

** Graywhisper – Haha, don't worry about it. Lostpaw is very popular amongst my reviewers, apparently, so you're not alone! :D Yes, that's the sad fact of life. The different ones get picked on for no good reasons. In MountainClan, though, everyone seems to get along fine. Lostpaw may be useless duty-wise, but he's still got a family that loves him, so he's good. :3**

** ShinigamiinPeru – Haha :3 Thanks! Glad you liked it! (I wonder how many times I've said that so far… lol)**


	12. Chapter 12: As It Is

**I was thinking that it wouldn't make much of a difference if I skipped a bit of time, so… this is two moons later. :)**

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here to hear my words," Thornstar called.

Almost everyone was outside already, and those who weren't padded out now. Goldenpaw and the other apprentices sat together at the front of the crowd. Today was the day of Willowfire's kits' apprentice ceremony, and they wanted to be the first to congratulate them.

"We're gathered today for the naming of two new apprentices," Thornstar began, nodding at Ferretleap, who ran back to the nursery and called to Willowfire and the kits. They padded out, chests puffed out with pride. Willowfire looked extremely happy.

"Oakkit, step forward," he said. The small dark brown tom padded forward, almost tripping, but quickly regaining his balance. "Oakkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time you are apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Oakpaw. Your mentor will be Hollowfoot." The dark brown tabby tom padded forward on his unusually small paws, looking very excited. "Hollowfoot, I hope you will pass down your courage and loyalty to your new apprentice." The new mentor and his apprentice touched noses and stepped back into the crowd.

"Flamekit, come forward," Thornstar continued. The white tom padded forward on his bright ginger paws. His eyes glowed happily. "Flamekit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time you are apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Flamepaw. Your mentor will be Snowstrike." The pure-white tom padded forward. "Snowstrike, I hope you will pass down your loyalty and bravery to your new apprentice." They touched noses and settled into the crowd, Flamepaw creeping away to sit beside Goldenpaw and the other apprentices.

"Oakpaw! Flamepaw! Oakpaw! Flamepaw!" the Clan called.

After everyone had congratulated the new apprentices, they were dismissed, so the older apprentices led their new den-mates to the apprentices' den. Once inside, they began showing them which nests belong to which of them.

"Toadpaw sleeps in that one, next to the wall," Mossypaw said, pointing to each nest in turn. "Crowpaw sleeps in that one, next to his and mine, which is right in the middle beside Snakepaw's, which is on my left. Goldenpaw sleeps all the way in the back, in the far corner. Don't ask me why, though."

"Are you making fun of where I sleep?" Goldenpaw gasped, pretending to be offended. She purred and waved her tail dismissively. "I just don't like sleeping clustered together like you all do. It feels like our den is full, even though it isn't."

"I guess that's kind of true," Mossypaw reasoned.

"Wow! You thought of everything," Flamepaw purred admiringly.

"Nonsense," she replied, her ears hot. "I just liked that one. It isn't a big deal. Besides, that nest was already there. I didn't put it there."

"Are there any empty nests left for us to use?" Oakpaw asked.

Crowpaw shook her head. "We have the only nests left."

"We got lucky," Snakepaw said, "because there were five apprentices before us, so there were five empty nests for all five of us to use."

"Anyway," said Mossypaw, "you'll have to choose where you want to have your nests."

"We can help you make them, too," Goldenpaw added.

Snakepaw and Toadpaw left camp to fetch materials for the new nests, and by the time they had returned, Crowpaw had already left to go hunting with Cedarstorm. They dropped their loads of moss and feathers on the ground, and Flamepaw and Oakpaw stared at the pile dumbly.

"What do we do with that?" Flamepaw asked stupidly.

"You… make a nest out of it?" Snakepaw meowed.

"I believe he meant to ask _how_ we're supposed to do that," Oakpaw clarified.

"Oh, well… just stuff some of it together, I guess…"

"Oh, okay," Flamepaw muttered, separating part of the pile with his front paws and kicking it away. "I'll use this, then." Oakpaw took the remainder of the pile and stuffed it together next to Snakepaw's nest.

Flamepaw rolled his materials all the way to the back of the considerably spacious den, stopping next to Goldenpaw's nest. "I'm going to put mine here. That's okay, right?" he asked Goldenpaw, his eyes wide and almost demanding.

"Um, I guess that's fine," she approved, a bit awkwardly. Flamepaw fluffed his nest a bit more, clearly satisfied.

"We're den-mates again," he purred, even though that was _very_ obvious. "We'll get to play together all the time now, like we used to. It'll be fun!"

Goldenpaw didn't know if he was delusional, or just going through a haze of dumbness from the excitement of being named an apprentice. "It's not that simple," she began. "We have duties every single day, and you have to go on patrols if you want to get something to eat. You have to start taking care of yourself, and can't rely on Willowfire as much. Do you understand?" Seeing that he had only been giving her half his attention, she snorted in annoyance, deciding that he was delusional after all.

Every apprentice went out separately that day. Goldenpaw left on the last hunting patrol of the day, Crowpaw returned from hunting, Snakepaw and Toadpaw went for battle practice with their mentors, Mossypaw went on a hunting patrol led by Stormstrike, and Flamepaw and Oakpaw left camp with their mentors for the first time and were taken for a tour around the territory.

Almost all of the apprentices were back by nightfall, except for Goldenpaw, who had just left recently for her patrol. The other apprentices all sat together to eat and share tongues. On the way back to the apprentices' den, Flamepaw and Oakpaw heard someone calling him. It was, unmistakably, their mother's voice. They turned at the same time and saw Willowfire padding over to them.

"How was your first day out?" she asked.

"It was pretty cool," Flamepaw purred. Oakpaw nodded in agreement.

"How does it feel to go back to the warriors' den?" Oakpaw asked.

"Pretty good, surprisingly," she admitted. "Well, you two must be tired. Get some sleep, okay?"

They promised they would, and entered their new den, where the older apprentices were already half-asleep. They settled into their own separate nests, prepared to sleep, too. Something bothered Flamepaw, though. He stayed awake for a while longer, thinking of how cold Goldenpaw must get. Was it really worth it, sleeping away from the others? He decided it was.

**This is another short chapter, sorry. :( Oh, well. At least it's something! :D Sorry about all these fillers. I just have to be careful about the time, because if I drag time ahead too far, Goldenpaw and the other apprentices might have to have their next naming ceremony. **

**Here's my dilemma: I confused Littlepelt's kits with the ones another queen was going to have. I can't believe I did that, but it happened. Littlepelt was **_**supposed**_** to have the kits she did, but just not yet. That's another reason why I put Heatherfern in when I did. She's going to have the three toms that the other queen was supposed to have but didn't. Those three were supposed to come **_**before**_** Littlepelt's kits, but I messed it up. I guess it isn't a big deal, but I have to tinker with the relationships between the characters, since those three aren't there. Mouse-dung! -_-**

** Graywhisper – Anyone that isn't in ThunderClan with Berrynose is lucky. Haha :3 Blacktail isn't a bad cat, but he just acts a bit blunt and rude sometimes. It can't be helped if he has an attitude. At least he does his job! :D**

**Uh-oh! I think Flamepaw might have a crush on Goldenpaw! Either that or he's just terribly clingy. :) Let me know what you think, everyone! **


	13. Chapter 13: Different Destinations

Goldenstripe and Dapplestripe were almost ready to leave camp. This would be Goldenstripe's first time out of camp since she had her kits. All that was left before she left was to say goodbye to her kits. Leaving Dapplestripe waiting outside of the nursery, Goldenstripe entered and faced her kits.

"Now, kits," she said in the gentle tone she always used with her kits. "I'm going out for a little while with Dapplestripe. I'll be back soon." After one last look at them, she glanced at Willowfire, who was going to be watching them for her, then closed her eyes and stepped out again.

"Are you ready to go?" her littermate asked. She nodded. "Let's go, then." The two sisters began padding out of camp. Dapplestripe asked, "Where's Stormstrike?"

"Oh, Stormstrike's on patrol," Goldenstripe replied.

"Oh, okay. Anyway, where are we going to hunt?"

"I was thinking of going to the charred oak. You know the one. It caught on fire during that lightning storm, remember?"

"Oh, yeah, I remember that. That storm was something else! I don't think I've ever felt so strongly like my pelt was going to catch on fire!" she purred, knowing that the only thing to do with the memory of the storm was to make it sound like it wasn't a big deal anymore.

They padded on to the giant burnt oak. Goldenstripe and Dapplestripe were the only ones who liked to go around that oak, since every other cat found the area dangerous due to the steep cliff that everyone found terrifying. After running for a while, they reached their destination.

"We're here," Dapplestripe panted, sitting back on her haunches to catch her breath. Goldenstripe did the same. However, Goldenstripe felt uneasy. Something seemed different. After a while, she realized what it was. She stiffened.

"Dapplestripe," she hissed, "we have to leave right now."

"What? Why?"

"Just trust me, and keep your voice down." Goldenstripe sprinted silently back into the thicker cover of the trees, Dapplestripe following.

"What is it?" Dapplestripe panted in a low voice. She was padding beside her littermate now.

"It's a –" Goldenstripe never got to finish what she was saying. The beast was in front of them now, drool dropping from the corner of its pointed muzzle. Facing this type of beast was considered the same as facing death.

The she-cats took slow steps backward, but with every step they took, the large creature advanced, moving on long legs. Its large, bushy tail twitched. Soon it would run out of patience and lunge at them. Which of them would it attack first? Suddenly, its mouth stretched, revealing large, sharp teeth. With its long, triangular ears flipped forward, and its dark eyes glittered, they knew it wouldn't be much longer.

Goldenstripe caught her sister's eye and glanced backward, gesturing with her eyes. Dapplestripe's ears pricked. The only thing to do now was run. They whipped around and darted through the trees, heading back to the spot they had just been, doubting they'd make it there. The large gray- and brown-furred giant sped after them.

The giant seemed to enjoy the chase, letting them run. They ended up at the edge of the cliff. If they continued in either direction, they would soon run out of land there, too.

"Why didn't you tell me it was a coyote?" Dapplestripe shrieked in terror as it trapped them there.

"Stay here," Goldenstripe ordered.

"W-what?" her littermate stammered.

"I'll distract it. You have to run. Understood?"

"N-no, I won't! I'm not leaving you. You're my sister, and you have your kits to worry about."

Goldenstripe snorted. "If you don't listen to me, this thing will put every cat in danger. Just trust me!" she pleaded. Dapplestripe opened her mouth to protest, but Goldenstripe went ahead with her plan anyway.

She lunged forward, letting the coyote get a good whiff of her scent, and sprinted away to the left with the coyote tailing her. She kept running until she reached the edge of the cliff, and when the coyote attacked her, she got a firm grip on its scruff. With the beast twisting around and clawing at her, she knew that she had limited time before it killed her. Summoning what was left of her courage, she rolled with the coyote off the edge of the cliff.

Dapplestripe saw none of it. After Goldenstripe had led the coyote away, she allowed herself a stricken pause, and then darted back to camp. She had never felt so bitterly hyper before. Hysteria threatened to take over her, and by the time she reached camp, she was fighting a strange, strong urge to slash something apart and scream. Screaming was the only thing she felt that she could do. Stopping in the middle of camp, she let out a great yowl. Every other cat in camp ran out of their dens, dropped their prey, scrambled off the sun-bathing rocks, and gathered around her.

For some reason, she couldn't put her feelings into words. She couldn't explain what had happened. She couldn't tell everyone why she had called them there, and why Goldenstripe wasn't with her. Instead, she let out another yowl, this time ending it with a splutter of laughter.

Thornstar pushed to the front of the crowd. Judging by the scraps and bits of prey around his mouth, it was obvious that Dapplestripe had interrupted his meal. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded. Dapplestripe let out a deep _mrrow_, unable to form words in her mouth.

Stormstrike stepped forward to stand beside Thornstar. "Where's Goldenstripe? Is she still out hunting?"

Somehow, after another fit of hysterical laughter, Dapplestripe was able to form the words to reply. "She's not coming back."

Stormstrike's eyes widened. "What happened?" he growled. "Where is Goldenstripe? What do you mean she isn't coming back?" Stormstrike's patience ran out, and he began creeping closer to Dapplestripe, looking angry. "Nothing about this is funny, Dapplestripe. What's going on?"

"Beast, cliff, running, ideas," she spluttered. Those were the only words she could manage now.

"A beast at the cliff?" someone said. "Was she chased off?" The speaker padded forward. It was Willowfire, who had been watching the scene with Goldenstripe's kits in front of the nursery.

"Coyote!" shrieked Dapplestripe. "Smelled it first… had it chase away, telling me to run," she sputtered.

"So she let it chase her away so you could escape," Thornstar concluded. Dapplestripe nodded, panting as if she'd suddenly run out of breath.

"Oh, no," Stormstrike breathed. His shoulders sagged, and he moaned, "StarClan, why did you do this? What did I do to deserve this? My kits and I need Goldenstripe right now."

Everyone was silent now, except for Dapplestripe, who was panting and shuddering. Blacktail stepped out of the crowd, stopping beside Willowfire. "I know that this is terrible, but there's nothing we can do about it now." He lowered his head. "Stormstrike, I'm sorry for your loss, but if you spend your days from now on droning on miserably about how there's nothing you want in your life anymore, what will happen to your kits? What will happen to the rest of the Clan, with their deputy out of commission?"

No one else said anything after that. They left Blacktail alone with his advice, their heads lowered sadly. "Well, it's time to get back to business," he said, his voice sounded firmer, though it was still dripping with an edge of grief. "Dapplestripe, follow me. I'll give you some thyme for shock." Turning to Stormstrike again, he asked, "Do you think you need some, too?" The dark gray tom shook his head, his tail flat on the ground, except for his white tail-tip, which draped over one of his paws.

Unbeknownst to them at that time, thyme wouldn't be enough to calm Dapplestripe's anxiety. They found out soon enough that no herb would help the now neurotic Dapplestripe.

**I hope everyone liked this chapter. I found it kind of sad. :( Well, I guess I can't complain, since I'm the one who wrote it. Haha :3**

**Now I'll reply to your reviews. :)**

** Rebel Islander – Thank you! That could be it. We'll see! :)**

** ShinigamiinPeru – Yeah, they were a bit rushed, sorry. Glad you liked them, though! :)**

** Graywhisper – Haha :3 I agree.**

**Well, let me know what you think!**


	14. Chapter 14: Catch a Cold

**(IMPORTANT: I've added a mini-chapter to below Part 5, which had the first Allegiances. I hope that if you didn't know about it yet that you'll go back and read it. Thank you!)**

Over a moon had passed, and Heatherfern's kits had just arrived. They were three toms: Jaykit, a pale gray tabby tom with blue eyes, a black tom with blue eyes named Ravenkit, and Robinkit, a tortoiseshell-and-gray tom with brown eyes.

Today it was storming outside, so everyone avoided leaving their dens. However, for the apprentices, every day was a job that had to be completed. This meant that they had to go out for some sort of training or patrol despite the rain.

The older apprentices' mentors had agreed to take them all out for brief battle training and a tree-climbing lesson. By the time they'd finished their trek to the clearing used for battle training half of the apprentices, plus Owlnose, were sneezing, probably on the verge of catching colds from being in the rain.

"Are you sure we should be out in this weather?" Goldenpaw shouted above the loud drumming of the rain, keeping to the edge of the clearing to get some cover from the trees.

"If you can fight and climb in this weather, you can fight and climb in any weather!" Thornstar shouted back.

Cedarstorm said something, but it was too low and no one understood.

"What?" Appletail shouted at her. "We can't hear you!"

"I just asked who's going first," she screeched, audibly this time.

"Snakepaw has gotten pretty good, you know?" Owlnose yelled. "He should take on one of the best."

"I volunteer Goldenpaw," Thornstar shouted. No one protested, so Goldenpaw padded out of the cover of the trees to stand in the center of the clearing, where Snakepaw was already waiting for her, his hindquarters low and waggling and his front legs stretched out in front of him.

Goldenpaw thought that that was the most ridiculous stance she'd ever seen, but refused to laugh at her littermate. His mentor, Owlnose, is a famous, fearsome fighter, and if _he_ said Snakepaw was pretty good at fighting, she should fear her brother, not laugh at him.

She stood on all fours in front of him, bracing herself for when he launched himself at her. Well, whenever that would be, anyway. He wasn't making any moves, just waggling his rear end in the air like the mouse-brained tom she knew he was. Giving up on staring at him, she dropped into a special stance she had developed with her mentor's help, her chest lowered to rest on her front paws and her hindquarters high. Summoning her strength, she slammed her hindquarters down to the ground, leaping into the air at the last second so that she was flying above and over Snakepaw. He followed her movements but couldn't turn around fast enough before she battered him above his tail with her hind paws. She then whipped around in a flash and battered him with her front paws. With each quick jab, she lowered Snakepaw more and more, and when he was about to fight back, she leapt on his back and pinned him down with her paws shoving his shoulders as down as they could go. "I win," she hissed into his ear. Something about this fight was strange, though. Why hadn't Snakepaw fought back?

She looked up to the sound of their mentors and the other apprentices padding over to join them from the trees. Snakepaw had his head buried in the ground now, looking depressed, so Goldenpaw hopped off him as the others approached. Thornstar looked proud of his apprentice. "Well do—" His praise was interrupted by Owlnose's furious yowl.

"What in StarClan's name was that, Snakepaw? You didn't fight back. You didn't even shake her off!"

Snakepaw let out an uncharacteristic whimper. "I don't feel so fresh," he meowed weakly but audibly.

Owlnose's demeanor changed dramatically from shame and anger to concern. "Do you want to see Blacktail?"

Snakepaw stared at his mentor and opened his mouth to reply, but then his eyes stretched wide and he ran into the trees, vomiting somewhat loudly. Goldenpaw walked over and rubbed his back in quick circles with her paw. He coughed up whatever else was in his stomach. "Let's go see Blacktail, okay?" Turning back to the others, she shouted, "I'm going to take him back to camp, alright? I'll make up for the training I miss another time," she added to Thornstar, who nodded.

Goldenpaw and Snakepaw made steady progress back to camp. They eventually entered the camp and padded across the clearing through the rain to Blacktail's den. Lostpaw meowed loudly when they entered to announce their presence to Blacktail, who was fast asleep in his feathery, mossy nest in one corner of the den.

Blacktail woke up and stretched slowly. "What do you need?"

"Snakepaw is sick," Goldenpaw explained.

Blacktail snapped into action almost immediately. "What's wrong with him?" he asked, concerned, padding over to meet them and giving Snakepaw a good sniff.

"We were training in the clearing, and I had to fight Snakepaw, but he didn't fight back. I didn't realize he was sick until he said he didn't feel good and started vomiting," Goldenpaw explained.

Blacktail was nodding slowly, something he often did when he was thinking. Looking at Snakepaw, he asked, "Your stomach, does it hurt?" Snakepaw moaned as he nodded. "Then I'll be right back." He turned away and disappeared in the medicine store, coming out with his mouth half full. "Eat this," he ordered, dropping the herb in front of Snakepaw. Snakepaw dug right in, finishing it up quickly. "Wow," said Blacktail. "Most cats gag when they try eating herbs."

"Except some catmint," Goldenpaw put in.

"Yeah, except for catmint," he agreed. "Well, anyway, shouldn't you be out training or something? Snakepaw should go to his nest for the rest of the day and come back tomorrow."

Goldenpaw nodded, then waved her tail and left the den to return to the others. Halfway across the camp, however, she heard someone calling to her. Turning her head, she saw that it was Hollytail, who was poking her head out of the warriors' den. She padded over as quickly as possible, even though she was already soaked. "What is it?" she asked. She was in a bit of a rush to get back to training so that she could retire to her nest sooner.

"Me and my littermates are going hunting later. Do you want to come?" she offered.

"Hunting, in this weather? Are you mad?"

Hollytail purred, amused. "Hunting in the rain is something the three of us like to do. The prey is soggy and we might get sick, but it's still fun."

Goldenpaw sighed, not understanding what was fun about that, but still agreed anyway. "Okay, I'll go, but I've got to finish training for today." She paused. "Oh, and you're going to have to let me take a nap first, okay?"

Hollytail sighed, "I guess that's fine, as long as the rain doesn't stop. If it looks like the storm is ending, your nap will be cut short."

Goldenpaw nodded and turned to leave, waving her tail in farewell as she trotted away through the rain. After what seemed like ages, she finally found the others, who were still in the same clearing, but practicing tree-climbing now. "I'm back!" she greeted them, stopping to stand beside her mentor.

"Oh, good," Thornstar said. "I want to see how high you can climb. It's for your benefit, believe me."

Mossypaw jumped down from the low branch she was perched on. "How exactly _is_ this to our benefit?" she asked.

Thornstar looked at her sternly. "It is to your benefit because certain things can't climb trees."

"Certain things like what?" she asked skeptically, her eyes narrowed.

"Coyotes!" he growled impatiently. "You specifically should know how dangerous they are."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Toadpaw climbed down a nearby tree and padded over.

Thornstar seemed shocked. "You don't know what happened to…" His voice trailed off. How was he supposed to ask them if they knew what had happened to their mother? Stormstrike probably hadn't told them for a reason. He had no right to be the one who told them.

"What happened to who?" the apprentices pressed.

He sighed, "Forget about it. Just climb a tree so we can get back to camp."

After a while of climbing trees, they finally returned to camp. The mentors settled down to eat together, and the apprentices did the same. "So what do you think Thornstar was talking about?" Mossypaw asked around a mouthful of squirrel.

"Someone probably had a coyote accident," Goldenpaw shrugged.

Mossypaw opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by Silverstrike calling out, "Goldenpaw! Are you coming?" They all turned around to look at her.

"Oh, that's right!" Goldenpaw gasped. "I'd completely forgotten. I was going to take a nap, but it can wait, I guess." To her littermates, she explained, "Hollytail invited me to go hunting with her, Silverstrike, and Patchclaw."

Mossypaw's ear twitched. "You should rest now, Goldenpaw. You'll catch a cold." Her words weren't spoken to prevent Goldenpaw from hunting with Patchclaw, but because Goldenpaw was still wet and cold from the rain.

"I'll be fine," the golden she-cat insisted. She dipped her head to her littermates. "I'll be back later," she called over her shoulder, padding out of camp with Silverstrike to where the silver she-cat said Hollytail and Patchclaw were waiting. Needless to say, Goldenpaw caught a cold.

**Hurrah! It's another random filler chapter! I hope you all liked it anyway. :3**

** ShinigamiinPeru – That's the reason why it was a big deal when Dapplestripe disappeared from camp without anyone knowing where she was. Everyone was a bit frightened. What's she doing? (Insert random panicked face) I'm sure nobody expected her to be injured. They haven't completely forgotten about that, but it seems like everyone's stopped talking about it. Oh, well. :/**

** Rebel Islander – Interesting theory… We'll just have to see then, won't we? :3 Dapplestripe may be hysterical, but she's still… um, a cat, I guess. Haha :) **

** Graywhisper – Thanks for replying. :) I sent a similar PM to a few of my reviewers because I wanted a reply as soon as possible. I really appreciate your input! I've also seen them trolling because of Allegiances without any "story content" above or below it. I don't see what's wrong with Allegiances, as they are part of the Warriors books, but I suppose it's true that it counts as a "list". Anyhow, I suddenly got a bit panicked when I saw a lot of stories being trolled. Some of them gave their input kindly, but others were a bit more forceful. I did some research and couldn't help noticing their large number, which is why some of you got a PM from me. Thanks, everyone! To avoid any trouble with them, in any case, I added a mini-chapter to the end of the first allegiances, so if you didn't see what was in bold at the start of the chapter, I encourage you to check it out. It's very short (about 300-400 words).**

**On another note, I wanted to warn you all that my updates will probably be less frequent. You're probably used to two to four chapters from me in a week, but summer doesn't last forever. :( I'll still update as often as possible, and the less frequent updates may start later, depending on a lot of things. Thanks! :)**

**Last but not least, I wanted to thank you all very, very much for your kind reviews and input. They're greatly appreciated! :) I hope you'll continue to read and review from this point on. :3**


	15. Chapter 15: Exhaustion

"Goldenpaw," someone called softly. She opened her eyes to complete darkness, blinking to adjust to the dim light. "Goldenpaw," another voice called, more urgently this time.

Looking around, she saw that she was alone in her den, even though it was before dawn. She blinked in confusion. This wasn't her den. This was the leader's den. How did she get here? "Goldenpaw!" a third voice growled. Who was calling her? She padded out of the empty den to find out.

A dark gray tabby she-cat sighed in relief when she padded out of the vacant den. "Finally, you're here," she mumbled. Louder, she said, "We've been waiting for an excuse to see you." Goldenpaw recognized her voice as the first speaker's.

Goldenpaw's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Who were these cats, and what were they doing here? How did they get past the guard? She inhaled deeply. They all had MountainClan scent, but she had never seen them before. "W-who are you?" she stuttered, her throat tight.

"We're from StarClan, dear," the second cat said. She was a pretty light brown she-cat with white flecks along her back and a white belly. Goldenpaw looked puzzled (and groggy), so she explained, "We have a task for you, okay?"

"Who are you?" Goldenpaw mumbled again.

"I'm Graypelt," the first cat said. "These are my old friends, Speckleheart and Thornwhisker." She pointed them out as she spoke, Speckleheart being the light brown and white she-cat, and Thornwhisker being a dark brown tom with long whiskers and a long tail. They had the ghostly shimmer of StarClan in their pelts. Still, all three of them looked young. Was it safe to assume they'd died in battle, or of illness?

"As we were saying, it took a while to get permission to see you," Speckleheart said. "We could have just come without anyone knowing, but the others probably would've gotten mad at us because of the effect of the visit. The others in StarClan, I mean."

"Just get to the point already," Thornwhisker grumbled impatiently.

Graypelt sighed and shook her head. "Be patient. We have some time left." Looking back at Goldenpaw, she said, "The reason we came to see you is because, as Speckleheart said, we have a task for you."

"We need you to find something for us," Speckleheart continued. "You'll have to be very brave for us, alright, dear?" When Goldenpaw didn't reply, she sighed, "You probably don't trust us, but we were members of MountainClan many moons ago. We want you to go to the sight of your mother's death."

Goldenpaw's eyes stretched wide, and she felt a shiver down her spine. "W-what?" she stuttered. "Why there, of all places I could go?"

They all gazed at her sympathetically. "Do you remember when Thornstar mentioned that coyotes can't climb trees? No cat in MountainClan knew that before Goldenstripe's death. They organized a patrol to try and find a corpse, but instead, they found a nest with the coyote's litter in it. They had never actually fought with coyotes before, so they fled, but the coyotes gave chase, so they spread out and ran. They kept running until they were exhausted, so a warrior named Leafshade shouted at everyone to climb a tree. While they did that, she distracted the coyotes, but, sadly, she didn't scramble up a tree fast enough. Watching the coyotes tear into a Clan-mate was terrifying, of course, but the blood-thirsty beasts seemed unable to climb up to attack the others. Everyone fled by climbing from tree to tree, making it back to camp safely," he finished.

"Wow, Thornwhisker, I didn't think it was possible for you to talk that much," Graypelt remarked.

Goldenpaw, however, didn't find this story amusing. "What does that have to do with anything? Why does everyone keep mentioning coyotes?" Her eyes were blazing. "What do you mean they were trying to find a corpse? They never found her? They never found out where my mother went?"

He shook his head sadly. Speckleheart put in, "We don't even know if she's dead or not. She didn't have anyone to bring her to StarClan, since we couldn't find her spirit. We searched all over, but we couldn't find a trace of her!"

"So, what you're saying is, you want me to find out if my mother is dead or not?" Goldenpaw still looked angry. "How insensitive are you? Can't you just assume that she is?" The words sounded horrible, and she paused and shuddered, but she continued, "That is _your_ job, not mine."

Graypelt glanced at the sky. It was gradually getting lighter. "We don't have much time left," Graypelt warned the other StarClan cats.

Speckleheart nodded. "Look, Goldenpaw, your mission is _not_ to find your mother. We want you to find something for us. Something very special; something Goldenstripe would have, or could have, left behind."

"Something like what?" she snarled. She was clearly still upset at the idea of going to the dangerous place where her mother had perished.

"There isn't much time," Graypelt hissed. The three StarClan cats were starting to fade. "We want you to find it for us, please. When you do, bring it to B—" She never finished her statement. Bring _what_ to _whom,_ exactly?

Goldenpaw was woken up to someone prodding her side. "Huh, what?" she mumbled tiredly. She hadn't been able to rest because of her dream. Looking up through sleepy eyes, she saw that it was Blacktail. "Oh, it's you," she mumbled, slowly getting to her paws and stretching.

"I came to see how you were feeling," the solid black tom explained, his voice muffled by the leaf wrap he was carrying.

"Huh?" It took her a couple of heartbeats to realize that he was talking about her cold. "Oh, right. I'm fine. I slept it off, I guess."

He nodded, setting the leaf wrap down. "Excellent," he purred. "I guess you won't have to eat any more of these disgusting herbs then, huh?"

"I guess so."

"Right, well, besides that, I couldn't help but notice that you were twitching a lot. Flamepaw came to my den and woke me up because of it. I guess you woke him up." His whiskers twitched. "He seemed very grumpy. Maybe you should find him and apologize." Goldenpaw looked around, suddenly realizing that the den was empty, except for her and Blacktail. "Yes, everyone else already left to perform their regular duties, except for Snakepaw. He's still sick, so he'll be out of commission for a while. He's going to be in the medicine den with me and Lostpaw for a while, just in case what he's caught is contagious."

Goldenpaw couldn't help but wonder what Blacktail was still doing here. He must have been _very_ bored in the medicine den. He's never been the social type, though, so there's always the possibility that he left because of Snakepaw being there. "Well, anyway, Thornstar just left for a patrol," he said. "I wasn't sure if you were still sick or not, so when he asked me if you were fit to go on patrol, I said he should give you the day off, just in case. Since he's gone, and you're better, you could come herb-collecting with me," he offered. "It won't wear you out, and you'll still be doing something useful."

Seeing nothing better to do, she agreed. They left camp, and Goldenpaw saw that it was past sun-high. She'd been asleep for a long time. "I'm low on juniper," Blacktail said, "so we'll have to go to the huge oak on the other side of the stream. There's a bush there where juniper berries grow."

Goldenpaw had never been so far from camp before. This oak was _very_ far. It was a long way to go just for some berries. When they finally got there, Goldenpaw panted, "Do you really have to go so far each time you need more juniper?"

"Of course," he replied, waving his tail as though this should be obvious. "What if I really need it and don't have it? The trip suddenly won't seem like a big deal then, will it?" She decided he was right. "However, in this case, it doesn't specifically matter. I use juniper berries for bellyaches and coughs, but watermint is actually the best for bellyaches, and chervil root works too." They gathered the small, round blue berries from dark, spiky bushes, carefully holding them in their mouths the whole trip back.

Exhausted from the long run, Goldenpaw collapsed into her nest. Was Blacktail serious when he had said that herb-collecting wouldn't wear her out? She groaned, feeling irritable and tired, but soon fell asleep anyway.

**I'm going to cut this chapter off there, okay? The next chapter may or may not be up today. I'll try to finish it today, though. **

**Now I'll answer your reviews.**

** Graywhisper – I'm just wondering where he caught it from, or who. I don't think rain can get or give a stomach virus. Haha :3 (That may or may not have been a teaser.)**

** ShinigamiinPeru – Or maybe Owlnose was just making Snakepaw look good but he wasn't any good after all… Hmm…. I'm kidding, of course. :) Their apprenticeship is somewhere around halfway over (I'll have to check all the times I skipped a few moons), so he's bound to have gotten good by now.**

**I hope you all liked this chapter! Please keep reviewing! Thanks. :)**


	16. Chapter 16: Only Just a Dream?

Patchclaw woke to someone calling his name. "Patchclaw!" a light, soft voice called. "I've wanted to meet you for a while now. Please get up." His eyes slowly fluttered open. He saw that he was alone with a light brown she-cat with white belly fur and white flecks. Who in StarClan's name was she, and why did she have MountainClan scent? He scrambled to his paws, noticing with his widened eyes that she had a ghostly air about her. What she from StarClan? What did she want from him, and why did she call him in front of the apprentices' den?

"Who are you, and why are you in our camp?" he growled.

She sighed, "Relax, dear. I'm from StarClan. I can come and go as I please." She glanced away, adding, "Well, maybe not that easily, but still. I came to see you because I had a reason to come and see you. Got it?"

He narrowed his eyes. "What would StarClan want from me? What can I do?"

"More than you think," she replied. "I've noticed that you've gotten very close to a certain apprentice." She narrowed her eyes. "Goldenpaw, was it?" she half-purred, half-hissed. Was she here to make fun of him? "Well, we gave her an important mission a few nights ago, but she seems to be ignoring us. How rude," she sighed.

"A mission?" he prompted, puzzled.

"Yes," she said. "We asked her to find us something that had to do with Goldenstripe by searching in the cliff area where she passed. You call it Coyote Cliff now, right?" He nodded. "Well, that's where we wanted her to go. We even considered sending Leafshade to convince her to do the mission. You knew her, didn't you? She was Hollytail's first mentor. She died saving her clan-mates, and her death protected the next generations from coyotes. Who would have thought that they couldn't climb trees?"

"She did," Patchclaw muttered.

"Yes, she did. She was quite brilliant," the she-cat remarked. "Oh my!" she suddenly exclaimed. "I haven't told you who I am yet. My name is Speckleheart, and I was once a MountainClan warrior. I do hope we can be friends." She paused. "Well, it all depends on whether or not you help me, and the rest of StarClan." She purred and took a few steps closer to him, getting uncomfortably close and allowing her sweet scent to flood his nose. She twined her tail with his. "You'll help me, won't you?"

He shook his tail free and leapt backward. "What do you hope to do, tempt me? My heart belongs to another."

"Yes, I know," she purred. "You're in love with Goldenpaw, right? Isn't it true?" She didn't let him answer. "Well, anyway, you'll have to convince your dear one to listen to us. She doesn't think we know what we're talking about."

"Why should I help you, and how can you be so certain that I love Goldenpaw?"

"Because you just said it!" she exclaimed. "You just said the words, 'I love Goldenpaw'. Well, I like to watch the drama, specifically, when I look down to watch the Clan. I know she loves you just as much, if not more. The thing is," she said, her words tumbling out faster and more excitedly, "Flamepaw is in love with Goldenpaw, too! He made his nest next to hers, he follows her around blindly, he's sad when she's not around, and happy when she is. That's why I want you to tell Goldenpaw that you're in love with her when you wake up. Just go to the back of the apprentices' den and wake her up."

He squinted at her, confused. "Wait, hold on," he said. "I thought you were only here because you wanted me to convince her to do something for you. Why did you change the subject as if you hardly care about whatever the mission was anymore?"

She winked at him. "Because when you do this, you'll be helping both yourself _and_ me. When you fall asleep next, I'll tell you why. Now wake up!" she ordered, and the world went dark before Patchclaw's eyes.

He was in the warriors den, and almost every other warrior was there, asleep, except for the camp's guard. He decided to listen to Speckleheart, even if she annoyed him. He silently padded out of the den, dodging and slipping past the sleeping lumps of fur on the ground. Sliding to the back of the apprentices' den, he peered inside through the small hole in the back to make sure that Goldenpaw was right where he shoved his paw in. "Goldenpaw!" he hissed. "Wake up!"

She shifted, and, after he prodded her with his paw several more times, woke up. Without looking back, she got up and padded soundlessly out of her den. "What?" she hissed at him when she arrived, still half asleep.

"Good morning to you, too," he grumbled sarcastically. He knew he couldn't blame her for being grumpy, though. He would be, too, if someone would have woken him up so early in the morning. Well, someone besides Goldenpaw, anyway.

"You have to stop waking me up so early," she grumbled. "It isn't so easy to fall asleep again."

"I know, and I'm sorry," he apologized softly. "Still, this is important. Just give me your time."

She stopped glaring at him long enough to ask, concerned, "Is everything alright?"

"Everything will be, soon," he assured her. "Follow me." He led her away from the tight space behind the apprentices' den and slipped out of camp, nodding at Minnowstream, who was guarding the camp.

When they were finally alone and a decent distance from camp, Goldenpaw asked again, "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, everything is." He gulped. "I've wanted to tell you something for a while now and… I think that now is a good time to say it."

Her eyes widened, returning to normal size after a few heartbeats of silence. "I've wanted to tell you something, too," she sighed.

He nodded, swallowing hard. "Here goes," he muttered. "Well, ever since that day in the apprentices' den, your first day as an apprentice and mine as a warrior, my heart has been fixed on you, and – I-I know that I probably could've, or maybe I should've, waited until you became a warrior, and I-I guess, I mean… What I'm trying to say is… that I love you." He swallowed hard again, staring down at his paws. "A-and I know that this is really sudden and you're probably not going to accept me, but I do – I mean, I love you."

Looking back up at her again, he saw that her bright blue eyes were wide and shining. "I only wish you would've told me sooner," she purred. His head tipped to one side. "Wait, no, hold on – I didn't mean that in any bad way, but I was just saying that I wish you would've told me sooner because now StarClan expects me to go find something they don't know what is, and to bring it to someone that I don't know who, and it's really dangerous at Coyote Cliff, so…" She sighed. "Hold on, I want a do-over. A few nights ago, I was visited by three cats from StarClan, and they told me that I was supposed to go to the place where my mother died to find something and bring it to someone, but they didn't say what or who. If I go, it'll be dangerous, and I might be unable to see you anymore, and… I-I wouldn't want that to happen, and… I mean, what I'm trying to say is… I love you, too, Patchclaw, but if I follow StarClan's will I could die, and I wouldn't want you to be sad if that's what ended up happening. I-I was going to go tonight. I was going to go and find something."

He stared at her, stunned and silent. StarClan wanted her to die? How could that be true? She was the most wonderful she-cat Patchclaw had ever known, _ever_. They wanted to take her away from him, and from the rest of the Clan? How was that fair? Patchclaw silently vowed to shred Speckleheart's ears when he saw her next.

"I'll go with you," he promised. "I'll go with you, and make your mission safer. We might not be able to fight coyotes, but it'll be easier to finish your mission if you have help," he concluded.

"No," she decided firmly. "You're not coming with me. It's just too dangerous, and if you still insist on coming, I'll go when you're on patrol, or when you're asleep."

"There's no way I could sleep if I thought you were in danger," he replied, speaking equally firmly. "I'm coming."

"I'm leaving." She turned and headed back to camp. Patchclaw followed more slowly. How could this have gone wrong? Everything seemed perfect at the start.

**Well, that's it for now! Speckleheart is going to visit Patchclaw again in the next chapter. **

** ShinigamiinPeru – Thanks! Updating is getting harder and harder, since I've got less time due to school starting and whatnot.**

** Graywhisper – Yep, that's for sure. The apprentice days are some of the best times. :( Oh, well. They can't stay apprentices forever! **

**Let me know what you think! They didn't have much time to be happy in that little conversation, sadly. Oh, and how about Speckleheart? Turns out she can be two-faced. Who would have thought?**


	17. Chapter 17: From Dislikable to Awkward

"Patchclaw," Speckleheart whispered in his ear, waking him into yet another dream. He groaned inwardly. "Don't you feel better now that you know she loves you back? It was a truly delightful scene to watch. I very much enjoyed it," she purred as he got up.

"Oh, just shut up already," he hissed, glaring fiercely at her. "My life has nothing to do with you, so stay out of it. Why are you here again?"

"I told you I was going to see you again," she replied innocently. "I wanted to tell you that you did a wonderful job, but there's no way you can go with Goldenpaw. She must go alone." Patchclaw bared his teeth and seemed ready to attack her, fully enraged. "Oh, relax, dear. She'll be fine. She can't die yet. Goldenpaw is much too important." Seeing that he was still angry, she threatened, "You, however, are less significant. You're still important to us, though, so we can't just make you disappear, but I'll have you know that Flamepaw has a big space in Goldenpaw's heart, too. It can't be helped if she loves you more. At least, that's how you seem to think."

"Are you threatening me?" he asked with eyes wide with disbelief. "You're from StarClan! You're supposed to look out for us!"

She sighed. "Look here, dear." She pressed her tail-tip against his chest, where his heart was beating rapidly. "You said yourself that you love that apprentice, and if this is what is best for her, shouldn't you support it?"

"You're telling me that I'm not the best for her?" His eyes were brimmed with sadness now. Speckleheart kept on toying with his emotions, and he hated her for it.

"Now, now, dear," she calmed him. "It's all okay. Right now, yes, you are the best for her, and no, I don't suspect she will finish her task in the next few nights, either, thanks to you." She frowned. "You're messing it all up, Patchclaw. She was supposed to go tonight, while I distracted you in a dream, but you didn't say exactly what I thought you would, so now she's delaying the task while she gathers her thoughts. You were just supposed to give the news and leave. You're such a mess," she sighed.

"And _you're_ such a jerk, for a StarClan cat," he retorted. "How could you say such things to me, especially after I did exactly as I was told by _you_?"

"Oh, relax," she soothed. "You're too aggressive. I'm just here telling you what to do and what not to do, but it seems that I've given you too much freedom. I'll have to correct your petty defiance. You're too rebellious, and I'm quite tired of you. I want you to tell me why you're such an annoyance."

"I love Goldenpaw, and there's nothing you can do to make me stop fighting to protect her, that's why. Why did you choose her, and what is she looking for?"

"We didn't _choose_ her, exactly. It isn't that simple. She was just… _chosen_. Not by StarClan, and not by MountainClan. This was just meant to be. As for your other question, she's supposed to find an engraved object. It's said to have a star on it, but that's just a rumor. Apparently it glows in direct light. I'm kind of excited to see it, whatever it is."

"You're sending her out to find something that you can't identify," he concluded.

"Precisely," she agreed. "And when she does, she'll be granted her mother's gift."

"What do you mean?"

"Goldenstripe was born with a rare and special gift. One of her kits was supposed to inherit it, but her death was poorly timed."

"Again, what do you mean?"

The light brown she-cat dipped her head. "I can't tell you much more than that. This is very important. Don't mess it up. It's time to go," she said, glancing up at the lightening sky. Patchclaw soon woke to a sharp pain on his side.

"Patchclaw, it's time to go. Wake up, you lazy lump of fur! It's time to go!" His eyes slowly fluttered open to see his silver littermate standing over him, paw outstretched to poke him again.

"Okay, okay, I'm up," he hissed, stumbling to his paws.

"It's about time," Silverstrike hissed back. "You overslept, _and_ you were twitching a lot. Did you have a bad dream?" He nodded. Describing his second visit from StarClan as just a bad dream was fine by him. "Well, then, it shouldn't matter if I woke you up or not. We're on a hunting patrol."

Patchclaw and his sister were on Stormstrike's patrol with Hollowfoot and Oakpaw. By the time they'd returned, they each were carrying a good amount of prey. Dropping his prey on the fresh-kill pile, Patchclaw had nothing to do, so he looked around camp, sitting alone beside the pile of prey. Stormstrike came after him to drop his own prey off, and lingered for a moment. Patchclaw turned to look at him, dipping his head in greeting. Stormstrike must not have anything to do either, Patchclaw reasoned.

"Would you allow me a moment to speak to you?" the dark gray tom asked tensely.

"Uh, sure, I don't mind," Patchclaw replied. Stormstrike nodded and turned around, padding out of camp whilst waving his tail for the younger tom to follow him. Stormstrike led him all the way to the stream, where they crossed to the other side and reached a dark, shady clearing. Patchclaw didn't think he'd ever been so far from camp before.

"So, Patchclaw," Stormstrike began casually. "How have you been?"

"Oh, fine, I guess," Patchclaw replied a bit awkwardly.

"Oh, well, that's good. I didn't call you so far from camp for nothing, as you probably figured. I couldn't help noticing that you've gotten quite close to my daughter."

Oh, so _that_ was what this was about. Patchclaw didn't bother asking which daughter Stormstrike was talking about. "Yes, I have," he agreed, dipping his head.

"Do you love her?" he immediately demanded.

Patchclaw refused to stammer. "Yes, I do. I love her very much."

"Well, that's good." Stormstrike relaxed immensely, letting his tense shoulders sag. "Does she know that?"

"Well, last night I asked her to come out and talk to me, much like we're talking now. That was when I told her, and she said that she loved me, too. I was very happy, but…" His voice trailed off as he felt a stab of agony.

"What?"

"Oh, you know how it is. Something always has to go wrong, doesn't it?" he sighed.

"I don't want to make you too uncomfortable and sad, so let's just head back now, alright?" Stormstrike suggested gently. Patchclaw nodded miserably and they began the long trek back to camp.

**Who would've expected Stormstrike to bring up an awkward conversation? I thought it'd be better if it was him than if it were Silverstrike or Hollytail, Patchclaw's littermates. **

** Rebel Islander – Yup! I agree! GoldenXPatch! Let's just call Speckleheart "special", shall we? Haha :3 Thank you!**

** ShinigamiinPeru – Thanks! :) I thought I should give Patchclaw some credit. He's a main character with significance to the plot, but he's hardly mentioned at all compared to other characters! Also, I was planning on incorporating your character, Shadowclaw, and Minnowstream some more. Remember when we'd discussed that? You'll have to choose kit names, and, if no one minds, I can make it an open kit-naming thing. It'll have to wait a bit longer, though, since I've already got two litters of kits waiting to become apprentices! X_X**

** Graywhisper – Two-faced, to be precise. She's super nice and innocent when she's talking to Goldenpaw, who's the main character in both StarClan's prophecy and in this story, but when it comes to Patchclaw, she's only nice when she pities him or before she gets impatient. :)**

**Sigh. So many fillers before she goes out to find a rock. -_- You're probably wondering, "What does this have to do with the summary of this story? It said something about a journey far away." And you are totally, completely right to wonder about that, even if you weren't before I brought it up. :) The Sun Stone Saga, as I'm referring to it now, is totally, completely relevant in every way, shape and form. You'll see why… eventually! :3**

**I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you think! :)**


	18. Chapter 18: The Sun Stone

**Phew! I finally found time for a new chapter! Alright, everyone, this is the big finale of the Sun Stone Saga.**

This was the night. Goldenpaw was going to Coyote Cliff, and she was going alone. She had made sure that Patchclaw was asleep, and now she was leaving. She reached the cliff swiftly, without any trouble. She shivered, but not only because of the cold night air. This place was very dangerous. Even just standing in the area was enough to make her shudder.

She knew what she had to do. Well, for the most part, anyway. She didn't know what to look for, nor did she know where she should start looking. Where had her mother… _vanished_? She didn't know. She let out a deep breath she'd been holding subconsciously and started padding along the edge of the cliff. "Speckleheart and Graypelt, surely you wouldn't make me search alone?" she breathed. She didn't expect an answer, nor did she receive one.

She leaned precariously over the edge of the cliff on one side. It was so steep! There seemed to be no end. No wonder they hadn't found Goldenstripe's body. If any cat were to fall, they would be falling for the rest of their life! Even if they did reach the bottom of the seemingly bottomless pit, they would break their necks and die then.

Slowly backing away from the edge, Goldenpaw took a slow, deep breath. She turned her head to look around her. If there had been any coyotes here before, there weren't any here now, she decided. Something her mother had left behind so long ago… what could that be? Perhaps it was a coyote. Again, there didn't seem to be any here. Well, she couldn't just give up without trying first, right?

Looking through the trees next, she still didn't find anything. She padded to the opposite end of the cliff, a bit away. Glancing around, she was about to give up and head back to camp, but then she saw it. It was something dark, but oddly luminescent. She slowly approached it. No, this wasn't any ordinary rock, she realized. It gleamed in the bright moonlight. Surely this was it? She decided that it had to be. Carefully carrying it between her teeth, she remembered that she didn't know who to take it to. There was only one place she could think of. She started the long trek to the Star Stone, where Blacktail goes to meet with StarClan every half-moon.

She had been to the stone before with Thornstar. Every apprentice had to go eventually. According to Goldenpaw's mentor, the trip to the Star Stone is a Clan tradition. Not seeing the point, Goldenpaw had complained about the length of the trip. It was at the upper end of the long stream that cuts through MountainClan territory. It was especially far from Coyote Cliff, where Goldenpaw started her trek. Somehow, she managed to make it there, panting from exhaustion. Dropping the stone on the ground, she knew that there was no way that she could make it back to camp, as exhausted and tired as she was. Curling up beside the Star Stone, she soon dozed off.

"Thank goodness, Goldenpaw!" a familiar she-cat's voice purred. "You made it here in one piece. I see you've brought the stone, too."

"How is it possible for my mother to have left this behind? That's right. It _isn't_ possible," Goldenpaw hissed. Had they been lying just to get her to find a dumb _rock_ for them?

"Relax," Graypelt soothed. "By bringing it here, you were able to meet us with ease. Don't you see? That was your mother's gift. She didn't leave behind the stone, but we _did_ see it at the sight of her death. You're inheriting it as we speak."

Goldenpaw was puzzled. "What do you mean, inheriting it? What exactly am I inheriting?"

Speckleheart answered this time, joining the other two she-cats. "You're inheriting the ability to visit StarClan at free will."

"_What?_" Goldenpaw shrieked. Doesn't that mean… was she half-_dead_ right now? She decided to find out. "Am I half-_dead_ now? Have you killed me? Are you taking away my spirit? Will I be able to return to camp in the morning, or am I stuck here?" Her fears came tumbling out all at once.

"No," Graypelt said sternly. "You're _not_ dead, in any sense. You _will_ wake up in the morning, but now, when you close your eyes, you can ease in and out of StarClan – _not_ as a dead spirit."

Goldenpaw groaned dizzily, "Can I wake up now, then? I feel sick to my stomach."

"Of course you can, dear," Speckleheart said. "Just close your eyes and imagine yourself back next to the Star Stone. Oh, and don't bother looking for that silly old rock. It's not going to be there."

Goldenpaw did as she said and woke up beside the Star Stone, blinking sleep from her eyes. She didn't feel rested at all, but it wouldn't do her any good to stay where she was. She might just wake up in StarClan again. That is, if their words were true. Did she really have access to StarClan, wherever and whenever she wanted? Why was it _her_, of all cats?

Glancing around, she saw that Speckleheart was right. The luminescent stone had vanished. How was that even _possible_? How was _any_ of this even possible? Was she still dreaming, right now, with the Star Stone? Was she _actually_ back in her nest in the apprentices' den? She shook her head to clear it. Padding through the trees, she thought she ought to hunt, in case anyone wondered where she was, but was unable to catch anything. She was too tired to chase a squirrel that was only a few tail-lengths away from her. She returned to camp empty-pawed and padded into her den right in front of the dawn patrol, which was almost ready to leave, ignoring their questioning looks and glances. Seeing Patchclaw at the back of the group, she glared at him directly, and saw him glance away from her when she did. She dropped in her nest beside Flamepaw, who may or may not have been woken up from her careless stomping through the den.

**Thanks for your reviews, everyone! Let me know what you think!**

** ShinigamiinPeru – Yeah, I think Stormstrike's kind of cool. Then again, it's probably just me. Haha :3 So, do **_**you**_** want to name the kits, or would you mind it being an open thing for other reviewers? **

** Graywhisper – I've had Goldenpaw's warrior name picked out for almost two years. :) That's a long time! Haha :3 Which name were you talking about, exactly?**

**I want to make Littlepelt's kits apprentices already, but I'll have to check how old they are. :/ You're free to make up warrior names for them. Jaykit, Robinkit, and Ravenkit already have their warrior names planned, since they were originally before Littlepelt's kits, but the others don't yet. Feel free to use your imagination, but make sure that they're valid warrior names. :)**

**Sorry that my updates are less frequent! You know how it is. :/**

**Also, the Sun Stone, as I'm referring to it (you could also call it, as Speckleheart did in this chapter, "a silly old rock"), didn't glow in the sun because, well, it was the middle of the night. Haha :)**

**Now, before you say, "She found a rock and got magical powers? I want to try it!" keep in mind that Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Dovewing had powers, too. Therefore, Goldenpaw can, too, even if she got it in a weird way that I thought up as I wrote these past chapters (Sun Stone Saga). **

**The Sun Stone Saga is now over! Feel free to sigh in relief. I don't generally like slow-paced chapters, so I'll try and pick it up, while keeping them decent in size, too. Thanks for reading! **


	19. Chapter 19: The End of the Beginning

**It's time for another time skip! We're now two moons after the last chapter. Now, first things first, the events of last chapter stopped there and I'm not skipping anything really important. Patchclaw and Goldenpaw still aren't on the same page and they haven't made up yet. **

**On to other things! Heatherfern's kits are over two moons old and Littlepelt's kits are now six moons old. The older apprentices are now twelve moons old. That's usually the average time an apprentice stays an apprentice (generally six to twelve moons, depending on the situation). **

All of the apprentices, except for Flamepaw and Oakpaw, were woken up a bit after dawn by most of their mentors, all at the same time. Thornstar was the only mentor who was unable to join them because he was leading the dawn patrol.

"It's time for your warrior assessments, you know?" Owlnose informed them when they were all together outside. "This is pretty exciting, you know?" Snakepaw looked embarrassed as his mentor spoke, the older cat's voice happy and excited.

"This isn't your first assessment," Cedarstorm, Crowpaw's mentor, continued. "We expect you to try your hardest, and don't be too nervous. You're skillful and strong, and you will endure and excel."

Fernfrost continued, "This is very important. If you pass this assessment, you will receive your warrior names. It all comes down to this analysis of your skills. If you qualify to be a warrior, you _will_ be a warrior." More than one of them thought, Goldenpaw qualifies to be a medicine cat, but she will _not_ be a medicine cat.

"Is Thornstar going to assess us, too?" Goldenpaw asked, glancing around for her mentor.

"Dawn patrol," Fernfrost explained shortly. "You and Toadpaw will be assessed by Cedarstorm. I'll be assessing Snakepaw, Owlnose will be assessing Mossypaw, and Appletail will be assessing Crowpaw." Each cat nodded as their name was called. No cat seemed to mind Fernfrost deciding who was going to do what.

They prepared to go, Toadpaw and Snakepaw sharing a leftover shrew from the previous day that was on the fresh-kill pile and the three she-cats stretching and pacing impatiently. After what seemed like moons, they finally set out to begin their assessment. Toadpaw crossed the stream to try hunting there; Goldenpaw headed downstream; Mossypaw and Crowpaw headed downwind from camp; Snakepaw tried fishing in the center area of the stream.

By the time they'd finished, the mentors were satisfied, and the apprentices were even more satisfied. Toadpaw had caught two average-sized birds, Snakepaw had three small fish, Mossypaw and Crowpaw both had three small mice, and Goldenpaw had a large bird. They returned to camp and dropped their prey on the pile. Appletail even remarked, "We'll only have one more hunting patrol today if the one that's out now does _this_ well."

They waited for Thornstar to come back, feeling impatient, nervous, and excited all at once. While they paced back and forth, Stormstrike came out of Blacktail's den with Lostpaw following him. He waved his tail in greeting. The pacing cats stopped to greet him, too.

"How did you all do?" the apprentices' father asked eagerly. He extended his tail across Lostpaw's chest so the small cat didn't walk on without him.

Every mentor had something good to say. "They did great, you know?" praised Owlnose. Stormstrike purred happily. Soon Thornstar would be back from his patrol, and they would be made warriors. They couldn't wait. No one else could wait, either. Ferretleap and Pineshade came out to ask how their assessment went and Brightcloud and Ivyfrost stayed outside to sit with them. Flamepaw came out to chatter away to Goldenpaw about how happy he was for her, but how sad he was that they weren't going to be den-mates anymore. Oakpaw followed his brother out and lingered at the edge of the crowd, not knowing who to talk to or about what.

Skymist padded out of the warriors' den, Lightspark following close behind. She settled next to Goldenpaw, who could hardly get a word in with Flamepaw's endless talking. Seeing that the younger cat wasn't going to let them talk, Oakpaw approached, a bit hesitantly, and cleared his throat. Flamepaw turned to him. "Oh, hi, Oakpaw," he greeted.

"Brother, I don't mean to be rude, but you're not Goldenpaw's only friend, you know."

Flamepaw honestly seemed offended. "I know that!" he hissed. He glared at his littermate and backed away to talk to Snakepaw and Toadpaw in a calmer, less ecstatic manner. Oakpaw dipped his head to the older cats and padded after his reckless older brother.

Skymist shook her head. "He totally likes you," she sighed.

Goldenpaw's ears felt hot. "How do you figure that?"

"It's pretty obvious." She looked thoughtful. "I thought you liked Patchclaw, though."

Goldenpaw's ears felt even hotter. "How do you figure _that_?"

"Doesn't matter," she shrugged. "I'm right, aren't I? What do you think?" She turned to Lightspark, who hadn't said anything yet.

"You're right, Skymist," he purred. Now Goldenpaw was positive that _they_ liked each other.

Skymist licked his ear and kept talking. "Well, good luck. Lightspark and I were going to set up a hunting patrol for after the ceremonies." She waved her tail and padded back to the warriors' den, Lightspark nodding in farewell and following her. Goldenpaw watched them as they disappeared and appeared again a few heartbeats after, Shadowclaw and Minnowstream following them. She was fairly positive that _they_ liked each other, too, what with the way their pelts brushed as they padded after the two younger cats. The four sat together in a circle, talking and waiting for Thornstar to return to camp. Goldenpaw joined Crowpaw and Mossypaw, who were talking about which warriors they found handsome. _Great StarClan_, she thought. _Is who likes who all everyone thinks about around here?_ Sitting with them but tuning out their conversation, the golden she-cat stared at the camp entrance. She stared for so long that she jumped in surprise when Thornstar's patrol dashed into camp, her blue eyes wide. She sighed in relief, relaxing.

After the mentors reported to Thornstar, he called the Clan together. Before Goldenpaw could follow her litter-mates and their mentors to the front of the crowd, Patchclaw brushed past her, their pelts touching. "Good luck," he breathed. She hesitated, and then padded through the crowd after the others. It was normal for another cat to wish an apprentice good luck before they became a warrior.

She padded to the front of the crowd, in between Toadpaw and Crowpaw, and tried to stop her tail from trembling with excitement. "Please come forward," Thornstar meowed. They did as he said, and their mentors settled behind them. "I Thornstar, leader of MountainClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn."

"Snakepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," he said, his thin tail trembling with barely concealed excitement.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Snakepaw, from this moment you will be Snaketail. StarClan honors your courage and strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of MountainClan." Thornstar rested his muzzle on Snaketail's head, and the new warrior licked his shoulder.

Thornstar turned to the next apprentice. "Toadpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," he replied.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Toadpaw, from this moment you will be Toadstripe. StarClan honors your strength and patience, and we welcome you as a full warrior of MountainClan." Thornstar rested his muzzle on Toadstripe's head, and Toadstripe licked his shoulder.

Thornstar skipped Goldenpaw and continued on to Crowpaw. "Crowpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," the dark-gray she-cat said.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Crowpaw, from this moment you will be Crowstorm. StarClan honors your patience and kindness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of MountainClan." Thornstar's muzzle rested on Crowstorm's head, and she licked his shoulder.

"Mossypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," she replied.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Mossypaw, from this moment you will be Mossyfur. StarClan honors your bravery and courage, and we welcome you as a full warrior of MountainClan." Thornstar rested his muzzle on Mossyfur's head, and she licked his shoulder.

Everyone turned to look at Goldenpaw next, the only apprentice left to be made a warrior. She stepped forward eagerly. Thornstar didn't give her a second glance.

"Tinykit, please come forward." Goldenpaw stepped back with a puzzled expression spread across her face. Tinykit bounced forward in her place. The tiny light brown tom was shaking with excitement. "Tinykit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time you are apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Tinypaw. Your mentor will be Littlefire." The very small dark ginger warrior padded forward, his white tail-tip twitching with happiness. "Littlefire, I hope you will pass down your enthusiasm and loyalty to your new apprentice." The new mentor and apprentice touched noses and sat side by side in the crowd.

"Dawnkit, please come forward." The light brown kit bounced up to Thornstar with wide green eyes. "Dawnkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time you are apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Dawnpaw. Your mentor will be Hollytail." The young warrior's green eyes sparked with surprise, and she padded forward. "Hollytail, I hope you will pass down your patience and honesty to your new apprentice." They touched noses and retreated to the crowd. _She must be really happy_, Goldenpaw thought. _This is her first apprentice!_

Everyone was even more surprised when Silverstrike got _her_ first apprentice, the newly named Shrewpaw. Shrewpaw, a light brown tom, now sat beside Silverstrike at the front of the crowd of surrounding cats.

The next apprentice was named. Redpaw, a ginger she-cat, touched noses with her new mentor, Rosefur, and they retreated to the crowd.

"Scorchkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time you are apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Scorchpaw. Your mentor will be Patchclaw. Patchclaw, I hope you will pass down your strength and loyalty to your new apprentice." The new mentor and apprentice touched noses and settled beside Silverstrike and Shrewpaw.

"Goldenpaw," Thornstar acknowledged, turning to the last apprentice to be made a warrior, the one he'd completely ignored before. She stepped forward once again. "There was a reason why you weren't named with your littermates, as you probably figured. I'm presenting you with a choice. Blacktail says that since he won't be around forever, he needs someone to succeed him as the MountainClan medicine cat. He says that you displayed strong instincts when Dapplestripe was found injured several moons ago. He wants to see if you'd like to be his apprentice, Goldenpaw, and train to be a medicine cat. Do you accept?"

She had no idea what to say. Being a medicine cat was her dream. It was her _original_ dream, anyway. She'd changed her mind during her warrior training. Surely she couldn't stop and start over now? She didn't want to. She couldn't do that. She wasn't going to. Opening her mouth to refuse, she began, "I d—"

A panic-stricken voice from the crowd cut her off. "_No!_" She knew exactly who it was.

**Hurrah! Suspense! I think you can pretty much guess which certain someone interrupted… **

**Well, anyway, it's time to answer your reviews!**

** Graywhisper - No worries! The end of a saga is different from the end of a story or series. **_**Adventures in MountainClan**_** isn't over! Don't worry about it. I'll warn you when we're nearing the end, which I hope isn't soon. Writing this fan fiction is so much fun!**

** ShinigamiinPeru – Okay, thanks! :)**

**IMPORTANT: To all my wonderful reviewers, feel free to come up with warrior names for Littlepelt's kits! Also, Minnowstream and Shadowclaw seem to have taken an interest in each other, so you can name their kits, too! Make sure you use valid warrior names. Thanks! :)**


	20. Chapter 20 & Allegiances 2

**Allegiances **

**MountainClan**

**Leader**

Thornstar – dark brown tabby tom with long claws

**Deputy**

Stormstrike – long-furred gray-black tom with a white tail-tip

**Medicine cat**

Blacktail – a long-furred pure-black tom (Apprentice: Lostpaw – a gold-bracken tom with failed eyes and ears)

**Warriors (toms and she-cats without kits) **

Cedarstorm – dark gray she-cat

Fernfrost – pale gray and white long-furred she-cat with a white tail-tip

Owlnose – brown tabby tom with a pointed muzzle and amber eyes

Appletail – reddish-brown tom with a stubby tail and green eyes

Willowfire- reddish-brown she-cat

Rosefur- blue-eyed, long-furred dark cream tabby she-cat (Apprentice: Redpaw)

Dapplestripe- tortoiseshell she-cat

Minnowstream- striped pale gray tabby she-cat

Snowstrike- pure-white tom (Apprentice: Flamepaw)

Tigerstorm- striped dark brown tabby tom with large front paws

Hollowfoot- dark brown tabby tom with unusually small paws (Apprentice: Oakpaw)

Lightspark – reddish-brown tom with a dark brown ear and dark brown-striped tail and light green eyes

Littlefire- very small dark ginger tom with a white tail-tip (Apprentice: Tinypaw)

Poppynose- skinny light gray she-cat with pale blue eyes

Silverstrike – pure silver she-cat with blue eyes (Apprentice: Shrewpaw)

Hollytail – pale gray she-cat with white paws and green eyes (Apprentice: Dawnpaw)

Patchclaw- cream tom with a dark cream tail (Apprentice: Scorchpaw)

Shadowclaw – pure black tom with a white muzzle and pink nose

Skymist – light brown tabby she-cat with one dark brown and one cream ear

Snaketail – green-eyed black tom with a thin tail

Toadstripe – green-eyed tom with tabby-striped tail

Crowstorm – dark gray she-cat

Mossyfur – light brown she-cat

Goldenshine – golden she-cat

**Apprentices (more than six moons old, in training to become warriors)**

Flamepaw – white tom with bright ginger paws

Oakpaw – small dark brown tom

Tinypaw – very small light brown tom

Dawnpaw – light brown she-cat

Shrewpaw – light brown tom

Redpaw – ginger she-cat

Scorchpaw – ginger tom

**Queens (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)**

Ferretleap – cream-and-brown she-cat

Pineshade- tortoiseshell she-cat

Brightcloud- pale golden she-cat with black paws

Ivyfrost- green-eyed she-cat with dark gray fur

Littlepelt- very small light brown she-cat

Heatherfern- light brown tabby she-cat (mother of Jaykit, a pale gray tabby tom with blue eyes, Ravenkit, a black tom with blue eyes, and Robinkit, a tortoiseshell-and-gray tom with brown eyes)

Honeyheart- pure-white she-cat with amber eyes

**Elders (former warriors and queens, now retired)**

Poppyfern- tortoiseshell-and-gray she-cat

Dawnfrost- pale gray tom

Beetlestorm- brown-and-white tabby tom

Toadfur- spotted brown tom with a graying muzzle

_**Shadowclaw belongs to ShinigamiinPeru. Skymist and Lightspark belong to Silentbreeze20 (formerly Skymist20).**_

* * *

**Chapter 20:**

Cats stepped aside to let the cream warrior back to where Goldenpaw and Thornstar were standing. "What do you think you're doing?" he shrieked, sounding panicky and downright upset.

"You didn't let me finish –"

She didn't get to finish what she was saying before Patchclaw interrupted her. "So you're throwing everything away now, at your warrior ceremony? After all that time training – Don't you know that actions have consequences and – Haven't you thought of what would happen if you started over now?" After breaking off several accusing questions, he finally finished.

"You didn't let me finish answering, you idiot!" She was angry now. Patchclaw flinched away. "Go back where you were sitting. I'll talk to you later," she hissed as his littermates came forward and half-shoved, half-guided him to the back of the crowd. Everyone was staring at Goldenpaw now. Surely they wouldn't penalize her just for being annoyed? _Patchclaw_ was the one who'd interrupted the ceremony, after all. Just in case, she murmured, "Sorry." Looking up, directly into her mentor's eyes, she said, "I was going to refuse. I don't think I'm prepared to just stop and start over." She dipped her head.

Thornstar nodded. "In all honesty, I'm glad you didn't accept the offer. It would've been a shame; a waste of a warrior." He paused. "Well, let's just finish the ceremony, shall we?" He gave another silent pause. Everyone watched him expectantly. "Alright, then, we'll continue. I Thornstar, leader of MountainClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Goldenpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," she replied firmly.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Goldenpaw, from this moment you will be Goldenshine. StarClan honors your loyalty and courage, and we welcome you as a full warrior of MountainClan." He rested his muzzle on her head, and she licked his shoulder. She backed away, and he nodded. "The meeting is over. Go as you please."

Before anyone moved, though, someone started up a chant. "Goldenshine! Snaketail! Mossyfur! Crowstorm! Toadstripe! Tinypaw! Redpaw! Dawnpaw! Shrewpaw! Scorchpaw!" The chant took a while to repeat, but nobody seemed to mind. Stormstrike went on to organize the patrols. After that, the new warriors and apprentices moved into their new dens. Goldenshine made her nest in between Mossyfur's and Crowstorm's toward the back of the den.

Meanwhile, in the apprentices' den, the new apprentices were choosing were to make their nests. The nest was practically empty, with two existing apprentices and five empty nests, which worked out perfectly. The five new apprentices picked out nests from the existing ones, Oakpaw scooting his nest over to where Flamepaw's was to avoid being bunched together with near strangers. Redpaw chose Goldenshine's former nest, with her littermates choosing the nests that were bunched together in the middle of the den.

**I'm going to cut this one short. Sorry, everyone! I'll write more next time! :) Next chapter **_**might**_** be GoldenXPatch. I haven't really decided yet. Let me know what you think!**

** ShinigamiinPeru – Updating gets harder and harder, but I'll still try to update often!**

**Now you know what Goldenpaw's warrior name is: Goldenshine! Hurrah! :3**


	21. Chapter 21: Chasing Tails

"You're all set," Rosefur told the new warriors, who were still sitting vigil. The dark cream she-cat had come to relieve them, a young ginger she-cat following her. "Redpaw and I are going to go explore the territory. You should all get some rest." With that, she waved her tail and left camp, Redpaw struggling to keep up with her quick pace.

The five warriors stretched, yawned, and headed to their den at their own pace. Before Goldenshine entered the warriors' den after Crowstorm, the dark gray she-cat stopped, blocking the entrance. She turned her head back to look at Goldenshine. "Didn't you promise Patchclaw you'd go and talk to him?" Crowstorm reminded her.

Goldenshine looked down at her paws. "I didn't _promise_, exactly," she mumbled. Crowstorm snorted. When she looked up again, however, Crowstorm wasn't there anymore. The entrance rustled just as Goldenshine was about to walk in.

Her eyes narrowed as she saw Patchclaw stumble out. He spotted her almost immediately, since she was standing right in front of the entrance. "Oh, hi," he mumbled around a yawn. "Your sister woke me up. She said you wanted to talk to me?"

Goldenshine silently cursed Crowstorm. She sighed in defeat. "I guess I do, huh? Come on, follow me." She led him out of camp, but didn't really know where to go. She slowed her pace, hoping he would take the lead. He didn't. There wasn't anyone in the area, as far as she knew, so she stopped where she was and turned into a shadier spot. Patchclaw followed her.

"So, um, how's life?" she asked awkwardly.

He tipped his head to one side. "It might be better if you told me what's up."

She sighed. "Yeah, I know." She paused, and then began, "I'm sorry that I denied your request to come with me. I wouldn't have wanted _you_ to get hurt. It was my job to do."

"I've tried blocking that stuff out of my head. I always imagine how things could have gone different. What if you hadn't come back? That would've killed me," Patchclaw frowned.

"They told me I inherited my mother's 'gift' when I brought the special rock to the Star Stone," she said. Seeing his puzzled expression, she further explained, "I have access to StarClan now, apparently." Goldenshine frowned.

Patchclaw didn't seem upset; only curious. "What's that supposed to mean? How does it work?"

She shrugged and admitted, "I have no idea. I haven't tried it since I left the Star Stone that time." She looked thoughtful. "I think that Speckleheart and Graypelt said I only had to close my eyes and think I'm in StarClan. I refuse to try it."

"Speckleheart?" he hissed. "Speckleheart has been bothering you, too?"

The golden she-cat's ears pricked. "What's that supposed to mean? Has StarClan been visiting you, too?"

"Only Speckleheart," he said. "She's evil. I don't like her at all."

Goldenshine shook her head. "I wouldn't call her _evil_, exactly. I find that a bit harsh. Besides, only good cats go to StarClan, and she seemed like a very good cat to me. She was nice."

Patchclaw sighed in defeat and didn't argue. Speckleheart had obviously been showing different sides of herself to the two of them. "You should try visiting StarClan," he suggested instead.

"Are you insane?" she hissed. "What if I don't wake up? It's like being half dead and half alive. I don't want to risk anything!"

"If StarClan told you that you could do it without a problem, chances are, that's exactly what will happen," he said. He figured he shouldn't add that he didn't trust Speckleheart or anything she told him, even though _she_ was a StarClan member.

She shook her head. "I don't know," she murmured confusedly, her shoulders slouched. "I don't know what I'm doing anymore." She straightened up a heartbeat before he leaned closer to provide a source of comfort, causing him to awkwardly move back. She said, "We should hunt before we go back to camp." She turned tail and padded in the direction of the stream, a common hunting region for MountainClan cats. They hunted together but separately, padding side by side back to camp when they were done.

"Wait, hold on," Patchclaw panted. He came to an abrupt halt, dropping his prey at his paws, and Goldenshine did the same, turning back to stand with him. "What's going on?" he demanded.

"What do you mean?" she asked, her head tipped to one side.

"What do you mean, what do _I_ mean?" he spluttered. "When I heard that you wanted to talk to me, I was happy because I thought we were _finally_ going to fix things. I already told you that I love you, Goldenshine, and right after I did, you ran off. I have no idea what's going on anymore!" He sat back on his haunches and waited for her to reply.

She just stared at him. Suddenly the fur along her spine bristled. "I _ran off_? Is _that_ how you saw the situation? StarClan told me I had something to do, and I did it. I never ran off! I was upset because you were so persistent in wanting me _not_ to go. I would've gone to the cliff anyway, with or without you. I didn't want you to go because what if there _had_ been some beast there? What if it had attacked? What if you didn't come back? It would be _my_ fault! Don't you understand that?" She shook her head, trying to calm down. Her fur flattened. "We just finished talking about this. You know I don't like repeating myself." Frustrated by his silence, she turned to walk away. Before she did, though, she said one thing: "Things would be fine if maybe, just maybe, you started to listen to me."

**That's the end of Chapter 21! :) Sorry that it isn't very long. I haven't had very much time to write this past week. :(**

** Graywhisper – Thanks for reviewing! :) Sorry, but I already have a warrior named Honeyheart. She's a queen. You'll be able to find her in either of the Allegiances. Thank you, though! Lizardclaw will work. :) And yes, Patchclaw is very iffy. :D And yes, she does like him! They're just going through an awkward phase… :)**

** ShinigamiinPeru – Thank you! :)**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing, everyone! You're all welcome to share ideas for kit names. Let me know what you think! :)**


	22. Chapter 22: One Day, Or Another?

**I'll reply to reviews now, instead of at the end of the chapter. :3**

** Graywhisper – It can be anything else with "Honey", if you still want that one. The thing is, I can't double up on names, and since there's a pre-existing Honeyheart in MountainClan right now, unless she were to mysteriously vanish or perish or something, I can't have another one to be named Honeyheart, even if it's like twenty moons later, since Honeyheart is still a fairly young she-cat and is less likely to die any time soon (plus the fact that she's a permanent queen). She's Minnowstream and Snowstrike's littermate, so, yeah. She's young. :) **

** ShinigamiinPeru – I totally agree! Haha :)**

**Read on, you awesome readers! :)**

Flamepaw woke up somewhat early, feeling cold and alone even though Oakpaw's and Redpaw's warm sleeping bodies were pressed against his pelt. This was the second night he had to spend without Goldenshine's warm fur against his. He was sad and tired. He wanted to be made a warrior _now_, so he could be with Goldenshine again.

He yawned loudly and stepped a bit away from his littermate and Redpaw to stretch. Redpaw slowly woke up, too, as he moved away. She stumbled to her paws. Oakpaw was still asleep, though, as the pretty ginger she-cat slowly approached Flamepaw with soft steps.

"Good morning, Flamepaw," she greeted him, standing close beside him.

He started at the sound of her voice. "Oh, it's only you, Redpaw," he sighed in relief. "Good morning. Did I wake you up?"

"Oh, no, it's okay," she insisted, her voice soft and sweet. She shook her head vigorously. "I don't mind being woken up." She gazed at Flamepaw lightly and strangely affectionately, which made the fur along his spine rise uncomfortably. She brushed her pelt against his. "Do you want to go hunting later?" she offered lightly, batting her eyes up at him.

"Uh, well, you see… I don't think I'll really have time later," he refused awkwardly. Why was Redpaw suddenly making a move on him? He felt a little freaked out, trying to squirm away from her.

She frowned and pulled away from him. "Okay, then," she sighed, turning around and curling back up in her nest, pressed against Oakpaw's small dark brown pelt.

Flamepaw watched as she quickly dozed off again, shaking his head to clear it. He had no time to deal with Redpaw. He only cared about Goldenshine, forever and always. He loved Goldenshine very much, he knew and realized, and didn't care if she knew it or not, even though it'd be great if she did. Goldenshine was his dearest, closest friend, besides his caring brother, Oakpaw. If he couldn't become a warrior because he was too young, and therefore couldn't share a den with Goldenshine, he wanted her to know that he was still there, and that he would care about her eternally.

Flamepaw padded silently out of the den. He did everything good for Goldenshine, and so he would hunt with her in mind. Afterward, he would change the elders' bedding and tell her about it so she would find him caring and compassionate. The third thing he would do is ask his mentor, Snowstrike, to take him for battle training, so he could learn to better protect Goldenshine if she were ever in danger. After that, he would share tongues with Goldenshine, and do his best to flatter and impress her. The last thing he would do is rest, so that he would be prepared to do the same thing the next day.

Flamepaw padded out of the clearing and through the entrance, stopping to tell the guard, Fernfrost, that he was going to hunt. Flamepaw headed downstream to hunt in the region where prey was abundant. He returned to camp with a decent-sized fish and a single mouse, his determination chasing his tiredness away. He dropped his prey on the pile and headed across the clearing to the elders' den.

He slowed his pace to a steady trot, slowly peering into the elders' den. Only the Clan's oldest elder, Toadfur, was asleep, so he invited himself in. "Hi," he greeted them. "I'm here to change your bedding."

Poppyfern purred, "Thank you, dear."

Beetlestorm grumbled, "His mentor probably put him up to it. What apprentice would willingly offer to change our bedding?"

Flamepaw shook his head. "I really wanted to help," the white-pelted apprentice insisted. "I thought it would be a good thing if I show that I care." _About Goldenshine_, he added to himself.

The elders padded out to let him work, waking Toadfur so that the den was empty. First, he cleared out their existing bedding, tripping over the thick mass with his bright ginger paws. Second, he went out and fetched more bedding. Third, he called the elders back into their den. Fourth, he allowed himself to feel at least slightly exhausted for the first time today. Finally, he dipped his head and left the den to find Snowstrike.

He found Snowstrike waiting by the entrance with several other cats. _He must be waiting to go on a patrol_, Flamepaw assumed. "Flamepaw," his mentor greeted him as he approached. "Where have you been?"

"When I woke up, I went hunting, and I've just changed the elders' bedding," he informed his mentor proudly.

Snowstrike nodded in approval. "You're a good cat, Flamepaw," his mentor praised him.

Flamepaw allowed himself to be a bit bashful as he accepted the warrior's praise. He stared at his paws, insisting, "It was nothing…" Looking back up at the pure-white tom, Flamepaw pouted glumly, "You're going on patrol, right? I guess that means you can't take me for battle training."

Snowstrike's eyes widened, and frowned. "Don't push yourself too hard, Flamepaw. You're done for today." Judging by the look on his face, Flamepaw knew that his mentor wasn't willing to compromise.

Flamepaw frowned. _I'm sorry, Goldenshine, but who knows? Maybe tomorrow Snowstrike _won't_ be going on patrol when I'm done with everything, and he can train me some more then._

Flamepaw took a short nap, waking up at around sunset. He was so glad that he did, because this was a good time to find Goldenshine and share tongues with her. Padding out of his den with one cat on his mind, he stopped in shock. Goldenshine was sharing tongues with… _Patchclaw_. Flamepaw had thought that they weren't interested in each other anymore! If Flamepaw hadn't been hungry, he would've stormed out of camp in a heartbeat. Still, he hadn't eaten before his nap, so he picked a plump mouse from the pile and padded over to meet Oakpaw, who was sharing the fish Flamepaw had caught earlier with Redpaw, who was staring at Flamepaw as she ate.

When Flamepaw approached, Redpaw loudly gulped down the mouthful she'd been chewing. "Hi, Flamepaw," she greeted, her eyes shining.

He grunted somewhat rudely in reply. Everything he'd done was for Goldenshine, but could it be that she cared more for someone else?

**End of Chapter 22! Let me know what you think! :)**


	23. Chapter 23: A Twist

**It's been a while since I updated. Sorry, everyone! This chapter will be a bit confusing at first, so read on. :)**

Goldenshine and Patchclaw had somehow managed to sort things out. It was both difficult and simple at the same time. In the end, Patchclaw was the one to apologize, and Goldenshine willingly accepted his apology.

After they'd eaten and shared tongues, Goldenshine retired to her nest. Patchclaw was going to take his apprentice for battle practice, now that it was dark. If the young cat could fight in such darkness, a daylight battle would be easier to win than finding leaves in a bush during green-leaf. Crowstorm twitched as Goldenshine padded into the warrior's den, and her eyes fluttered open when Goldenshine dropped into her nest.

"Goldenshine?" the dark gray she-cat mumbled drowsily. "Is that you?"

"Yeah," the golden she-cat grunted.

"Is it moon-high already?" Crowstorm asked, forcing herself up.

"Yeah," Goldenshine grunted again.

"I have to go, then." Crowstorm stretched and slowly padded out of the den. Goldenshine, half-asleep already, simply grunted and shut her eyes. She quickly dozed off.

Outside of the den, the dark gray she-cat stopped and looked around. Mossyfur and Snaketail were already gone. Toadstripe, however, had only recently come back from a patrol, and was eating with the apprentices. _He has nothing to do with this_, she thought. _I won't bother him._

She shot out of the camp in a flash of dark gray, calling behind her to the guard, who she couldn't identify because of how fast she was running, "I'm going out. I'll be back soon!" The others would be angry if she was late again.

She ran at full speed through the trees, eventually reaching the stream. She hesitated. She was a good swimmer, but she still didn't like water. She never liked feeling cold to her skin. Bunching her muscles together, she gave a strong leap off her hind paws, landing at least a fox-tail away from the stream, to make sure that she didn't have any chance of getting wet. She continued on, turning upstream now. The trees gradually grew thinner and the air colder. She didn't like it up here anymore than she liked getting soaked to the bone. She finally reached her destination, a clearing where the trees hardly grew and the air felt chillier on her skin than the iciest possible water. She shivered, and hesitated before stepping out into the clearing, where the others were waiting for her.

A familiar dark gray tom turned to her once her own dark gray pelt was visible. His green eyes glowed in the darkness. "Ah, you're here!" he purred. He stepped closer to her and made a motion to affectionately lick her ear. Her ears felt hot, and she pulled away before he could. He didn't seem hurt, disturbed, or upset in any way. He purred even more loudly. "So, Crowpaw, are you going to share any new ideas with us today?" he asked, leading her toward her littermates.

"No," she sighed. "Oh, and my name is Crow_storm_ now," she added proudly. She padded faster than him to reach her littermates first. "Was there a reason why we're meeting today?" she asked once she'd reached them.

"Of course," Mossyfur snapped. "We've got no time to waste."

Crowstorm stood her ground. "That's not what I was suggesting, and you know it." Turning to Snaketail, she said, "The others are getting restless. Let's start so we can get back to camp." It was true. The other cats in the clearing were pacing and staring at the three littermates, clearly growing impatient. None of them were from MountainClan.

The same dark gray tom from before padded up to them and sat beside Crowstorm, his pelt barely touching hers, and whispered, "You should start soon. They're cold, tired, and hungry, and want to return to their dens as soon as possible."

"We know," Crowstorm said, shuffling away from him.

"Alright," Mossyfur yowled. "Everyone gather around. We're starting." Everyone did as she said, padding to sit around the three littermates. The dark gray tom stepped back. She turned to Snaketail. "You go first."

Snaketail nodded. "Do we have any new cats with us today?" he asked, speaking loud and clear.

The dark gray tom said, "Two new cats, about seven moons, have come with us today. They were old enough to make the trip."

"Alright," Snaketail approved. "Where are they?" He scanned the surrounding cats, searching for the two unfamiliar faces. When he finally spotted them, sitting side by side, he asked, "What are your names?"

"Lion's Fire," a sun-colored tom called out. His pelt shone, even in the darkness of the night.

"I don't have a name," the other tom, who was sitting beside Lion's Fire, called out. "They never gave me one."

Snaketail's eyes narrowed. "There's a cat without a name?" Crowstorm murmured. "Don't they have to call him something when they talk to him?"

"He's not one of us," the dark gray tom whispered in her ear, too low for the surrounding cats to hear.

"You tell us that they're with you, yet you don't know that cat's name?" she hissed back.

Somehow, Mossyfur had heard their exchange. She leaned closer to them and said, loudly enough for the others to hear, "Yes, do explain."

"His mother died, and his father brought him to us," he explained. "His father was sickly and frail, and was unfit for the trip here."

"That's awful," Crowstorm breathed.

"Let's hurry along," Snaketail meowed impatiently. "We have to make our next move already. Lion's Fire and you," he called to the two new toms, "are you aware of our focuses and intentions?" They shook their heads.

"How come none of you have told them already?" Mossyfur snapped, her tail-tip twitching impatiently. No one answered her. "You're all worthless!" she exclaimed, exasperated. No cat dared to challenge her.

A white she-cat with pale gray ears stood up on her pale gray paws. "Our focuses are a better life for every cat. Our intentions are good and just. We hope to provide opportunities for cats to join MountainClan by clearing out space." She sat down again.

Crowstorm frowned. They really were "clearing out space". That was exactly what her littermates were doing, and here she was with them, disapproving but following along anyway.

"Thank you!" Mossyfur sighed. She seemed even bossier now than she usually did, probably to make the other cats fear her more.

"Now, as you know, we failed to bring the mentally unstable cat down. We shall try again. Not now, but eventually. We have yet to deal with the pitiful apprentice as well. He will be next. Then we'll pluck out cats that are less important, defeating them, capturing them, or making them fall mysteriously ill. On another note, we will not conduct any more physical assessments of any cat. I fell ill and missed out on my training because of them. Tomorrow at dusk, we will take as many apprentices as we can. Be sure to snatch the weak one as well. You're free to go."

Snaketail and his littermates padded through the crowd to return to camp. Crowstorm was the only one who truly felt uneasy and afraid. She didn't want to hurt anyone. She didn't want anyone to get sick, taken away from their home and kin, or killed. She knew from the bottom of her heart that Snaketail and Mossyfur didn't, either. Cats can't change so very quickly. She knew that somewhere in their hearts were intentions that were good for MountainClan, instead of for the strange cats that came one night to ask for help from three unsuspecting apprentices.

**That's the end of Chapter 23! I hope you liked it. :3 Let me know what you think!**

**This chapter was probably pretty confusing, but I'm afraid that if I try explaining anything, I'll spoil something. Then again, I don't want anyone to be **_**too**_** confused, so I'll start adding explanations to the ends of the chapters that I expect to throw readers off.**

**Summary:**

"'Chapter 23: A Twist' focuses mainly on Crowstorm. She's going to meet strange cats with Mossyfur and Snaketail. _She's_ not happy about it, but she's involved in a plan to replace MountainClan cats with some of those strange cats, who were hoping to find a home there."

**I'll reply to your reviews now. Thanks to all of my reviewers, and welcome to two new reviewers, Epikcheese and Flowing-rivers!**

** ShinigamiinPeru – Yes, but obsessions add more drama! Haha :3 And school is keeping everyone busy, so you don't have to apologize! Thank you! **

** Graywhisper – Precisely! Indeed, it seems impossible "with Patchclaw around"…**

** Epikcheese – Thank you for your review! :) "Maybe a loner joins the Clan", indeed. One chapter ago, I would have said, "No way would a loner join. They're in a mountain and everyone lives together." Then I thought about it for a while, and decided that these cats (let's call them The Intruders, for convenience) would clear a lot of unanswered questions up that I raised throughout the story but left alone afterward. **

** Flowing-rivers – Thanks! And Goldenshine is also one of my favorite characters lol X) Do you regret wanting to know more about Snaketail, or does this whole "dark side" thing make him even more of your favorite? Just curious! Haha X3**

** ShinigamiinPeru – Thank you! Sorry I haven't updated in over two weeks. :( I recently started another fan fiction for an anime called **_**Soul Eater**_**, and I wanted to get it going. Time flew by very fast when I was working on it, and I started thinking more about ideas for that story instead of this one. I apologize again, but now that my other one (titled **_**Blue Moon**_**, so I can call it that instead of "my other one") is started up, I'll be updating this fan fiction just as frequently as I used to, if I can. :) Oh, and also, it's Flame**_**paw**_**, not Flametail. XD Flametail is a deceased ShadowClan medicine cat. **

**I recently discovered that the name of this fan fiction, Adventures in MountainClan, has a cool acronym: AIM. Neat! :)**

**Feel free to keep sending in kit names! You can also suggest names for The Intruders! No Clan cat names for now, please, unless they're for the kits! Thank you for reading!**


	24. Chapter 24: The Midnight Mission Part 1

**A new chapter is long overdue, and so I'm making up for it with a two-part one!**

**Keep this thought in mind as you read the next few chapters: "What goes around comes around, but in the way least expected." I'll explain how that relates to this part of the story later on. :)**

**{Reviews will be responded to at the end of the second part :)}**

"Crowstorm," her brother hissed. "Wake up! It's time."

"Oh, Snaketail," she sighed. "Are you sure about this?"

He stared at her, seeming a bit surprised. Then he blinked, and any trace of surprise was gone, replaced with a stern look. "Of course I'm sure," Snaketail snapped. "I know what I'm doing, and what I'm getting myself into."

"Do you really?" she sighed again. She got out of her nest a second time. She had hardly gotten any sleep before her brother was calling her to join him again. Why, oh why, had she gotten herself involved, despite her gut feelings of guilt and distrust toward the intruding loners? She knew exactly why. Her littermates could have been in danger, perhaps even killed by this point, at their secret meetings with the strange intruding cats. In the end, risking her safety – and peace of mind – proved only a little bump in the dirt.

Her brother did not reply, turning tail and padding soundlessly out of the den instead. She reluctantly followed him, slipping past the sleeping bodies of the other warriors. Her heart ached at the suggestion that some of these cats would not be returning comfortably to their nests after tonight.

The night was dark, but it was not quite moon-high yet. That would be the time of the strike. Mossyfur was waiting for Snaketail and Crowstorm outside of the warriors' den, her tail lashing impatiently. Once both of them were out, they padded out of camp through the dirt-place tunnel.

Meanwhile, back inside the warriors' den, four eyes blinked open. Goldenshine had heard from Toadstripe that something strange was going on with their littermates. They had agreed to follow them, and as a result, they hadn't allowed themselves to fall asleep. They exchanged a glance, and at once, as a single patrol, they stalked out of the den and, following the scents of their littermates, through the dirt-place tunnel, not uttering a single word as they tracked them up the stream and into the coldest region of MountainClan territory.

When they reached the clearing, they stopped and peered through the trees. Goldenshine let out a faint gasp at the sight of all the unfamiliar cats on MountainClan territory. Toadstripe's eyes narrowed and the fur along his spine rose distrustfully.

They could not believe their eyes, for right there in front of them was a meeting of sorts – between their littermates and some strange cats they'd never seen or scented before. What now? They'd only be able to watch.

Goldenshine glanced at Toadstripe. The fur along his spine was rising distrustfully. Goldenshine rested her tail on her brother's shoulders to keep him calm. He glanced at her, and she shook her head. Silence was their best option for now; silence and pricked ears.

Snaketail, who was sitting at the center of the group along with Mossyfur and Crowstorm, cleared his throat to gather everyone's attention and said, "Tonight is the night. The raid is beginning. Is everyone ready?"

Low, eager roars came from the crowd. They were clearly _trying_ to make themselves unnoticeable, but although their voices were quiet, they echoed around the clearing. Not long after the low roaring had begun, Mossyfur was hissing at everyone to be silent, her tail lashing impatiently. Goldenshine and Toadstripe exchanged a glance. She was clearly trying to be intimidating, and it was clearly working. The noise rapidly faded into silence once more.

"We'll go over our battle strategy once more before we strike," Snaketail continued. "Would anyone like to volunteer to recite our plan?" It was almost too good to be true; Goldenshine and Toadstripe were wondering what their plan was.

"I'll say it," the nameless young cat called out. Snaketail nodded and sat back on his haunches with his thin, snake-like tail draped over his black paws. "We'll sneak one by one into the MountainClan camp through a secret tunnel that was made in the back. Then we're going to reach into the hole you said was in the back of the apprentices' den, snatch them right from their nests, and make our escape!" The small gray-black tom sounded eerily enthusiastic; it was as though he honestly had no concept of the pain he would cause the kin and friends of the apprentices that, if everything went according to their plan, were to disappear the next morning.

Goldenshine felt sick to her stomach at the realization that her littermates had known that there was a small hole at the back of the apprentices' den; it was the same hole that Patchclaw had called her out from before, and the same hole he himself had used to sneak out of camp back in his days as an apprentice.

She felt even sicker to her stomach at the realization that her littermates were willing and eager to lead these strangers to their camp to steal away their younger Clan-mates. Why was this all happening? Toadstripe glanced at Goldenshine and stroked her along the spine with his tabby-striped tail comfortingly. Comfort was easier to provide than a solution at the moment.

Right there before them, the cats were ready to attack. They knew that they would have to warn Thornstar. It was the right thing to do. However, doing so would mean telling the Clan that Snaketail, Mossyfur and Crowstorm were guilty of treason, and they could not bring themselves to do that.

They remained silent and watched as the conversation continued. It became clearer even to Toadstripe and Goldenshine that their littermates were the leaders of this group of cats as Snaketail spoke again. "I know that we may not succeed in capturing all of the apprentices, but know that with determination, courage, and fierce loyalty to one another, we will succeed!"

Toadstripe looked outraged once more, and Goldenshine arched her spine and silently hissed. Who was Snaketail to talk about 'fierce loyalty'? If he and the two other MountainClan cats involved truly were fiercely loyal, they would not be acting against their Clan like this. They definitely would not speak of snatching apprentices from their nests!

Snaketail stepped through the crowd, his sisters following close behind him. He signaled with his tail for the others to follow him. Right before stepping through the trees toward the MountainClan camp and precariously close to the spot where Toadstripe and Goldenshine were, he paused. Everyone stopped behind him. He peered through the trees, seemingly right at them. Finally, he broke his gaze, shook his head, and marched onward toward the camp.

**That concludes part 1/2 of "The Midnight Mission". Press the little "right" arrow to read part 2/2! :)**

**Summary:**

"In 'Chapter 24: The Midnight Mission Part 1', Goldenshine and Toadstripe spy on their littermates while they're meeting with the strange cats and hear what they're planning. Naturally, they're disgusted by what they hear."

**Thanks for reading! :)**


	25. Chapter 25: The Midnight Mission Part 2

**{This is the second part of the update. If you saw a new chapter and just clicked directly on the last one on the list without reading the first part, click on that nifty little "left" arrow next to the name of the chapter. Thanks! :)}**

As the group of strangers strode on, Goldenshine and Toadstripe let out deep breaths, as if they'd been holding their breath the entire time they'd been watching. Goldenshine shook her head in disbelief, and Toadstripe stared down at his paws.

"I can't believe this," the golden she-cat breathed. Moving her empty stare from the clearing to Toadstripe, she wondered out loud, "Maybe Snaketail saw us and wanted us to run ahead of them just now." Toadstripe lifted his head and stared at her in surprise. She quickly continued, "Snaketail was looking _right at us_, wasn't he? Didn't it at least _seem_ like it?"

Toadstripe shrugged, "We can only guess." He stood on all fours. "Let's not dawdle here. We can't waste our time like this. Let's see if we can reach camp before –"

He broke off at the sound of paws drumming against the earth. The two cats looked at the trees behind them in alarm. Had someone been watching them this whole time? Did someone know that they'd been spying on the intruding cats, and that they'd overheard their plan? Or was it someone else, perhaps?

A familiar dark gray she-cat emerged from the shadows of the trees and fell under the same shadows of the same trees her littermates were hidden by. They stared at her distrustfully. "I want to apologize for… all of this," she began. "I know that it all seems awful, and I know that you're probably not going to believe me after seeing me with them, but I want what's best for my Clan. I know that words aren't going to cut it at this point, but please, just try to understand."

"_Understand?_" Goldenshine echoed in disbelief. "Oh, we understand alright. We understand that our littermates have been keeping a dirty little secret from us."

Toadstripe hissed, "You're going to _take_ the apprentices; to snatch them from their nests?"

Crowstorm shook her head vigorously. "We're not doing anything to hurt anyone, _really_. I mean it. Have I ever lied to you before?"

"You lied to us about all of this, didn't you?" Goldenshine retorted.

"Please, just hear me out," Crowstorm pleaded. "It all started when the three of us – Snaketail, Mossyfur and me – went out to hunt on our own. We had become apprentices only recently, so we were just three young, naïve cats away from our mentors and the older cats at nighttime. We wanted to explore, and to try making it as far away from camp as we could. It was almost like a game, I suppose."

"You were out playing 'games' at night, just apprentices, without supervision?" Neither of the two listeners sounded fully convinced.

"Just listen to me, would you? Now, as I was saying, we were out exploring in the middle of the night. It was fun – almost like a game, as I said. That was, until we came across some older cats near the highest MountainClan boundary. I think you already know where that was." She averted her gaze to the clearing behind her littermates, and then looked back at them. "Now I want you to imagine some cat that is scary and intimidating, but also… influential. There were two of them, and they wanted us to take them to our Clan so that they would have someplace to live. We were really scared of them, but we didn't want to get into any trouble for sneaking out in the middle of the night."

"So you said no?" Toadstripe guessed.

Crowstorm nodded and gulped audibly. "They told us that they would be such very beneficial additions to the Clan. They were trying so hard to convince us to lead them there, and their reasons for us to do so were so… _believable_ to us at the time. However, we still didn't want to get into trouble for going on our little _expedition_, so to speak, so we abruptly rebuffed them and prepared to run away, back to camp. We would have made our escape if Snaketail had agreed with us that we should leave. Mossyfur was too stubborn, even back then, to listen to them, and my sense of what's right and what isn't was too strong. I wouldn't let them anywhere near the camp."

"You're letting them near the camp _now_ by keeping us here to hear you out," Goldenshine pointed out.

"Fair enough, but this is important. Didn't you see how slow they were moving? They clearly wanted to move slowly so that they can be silent and not crunch any leaves under their paws and alert the camp guard. Now, let me get back to my story, shall I? Snaketail was different from us because he didn't have any reason _not_ to believe them. He wasn't stubborn enough, and he wasn't as careful about rules as I was. Most importantly, he was very impressionable back then. They were clearly changing _his_ mind about taking them to camp. He didn't want us to leave the two strangers there. He wanted to help them.

"What happened next was the thing that made me uncertain. A she-cat stepped out from the trees on the opposite side of the clearing. Her belly was heavily swollen with kits. She'd said, 'I want my kits to grow up in a nice, safe place,' or something like that. I wanted to help her, but I refused to give into their pleas. It just felt wrong, and I would get in trouble, of course, for sneaking out and whatnot. Mossyfur was on their side from the moment she laid eyes on the expectant she-cat.

"I wouldn't have stayed by my littermates' sides if I had felt that they were safe with these strange cats. I wouldn't have been much help to them if it had come to a fight with those big cats, but if I was with them, I would at least know whether they were safe or not. I know that this is all very difficult to grasp, seeing how we're now basically the leaders of the group and encouraging them and whatnot, but think about it. Those two really, truly believed the words of those cats and wanted to help by doing as they requested. They really wanted to guide them into the Clan.

"Their twisted plan, however, was out of my reach. I couldn't stop them from thinking of it, and I know that they won't listen to me at this point. That's why I want you two to go and wake Thornstar. Please tell him that there's an attack, and that you saw the cats coming when you were out on a midnight hunt. Please don't tell him about Snaketail, Mossyfur and me. If it comes out, then it comes out, but I hope you'll keep our secret. I'm counting on you."

With that, and without waiting for her littermates' consent and agreement, she turned tail and began padding back to camp. They did not stop her. What they did do was race back to camp after her and prepared to tell Thornstar that strange cats were attacking the camp very soon, having seen them while out midnight hunting, and not mention their littermates at all.

**First off, I'm sorry for making you all wait so long for the next update. I could give you fifty reasons why I haven't been able to sit down and write, but I think that would probably be kind of like spamming you. Haha :3**

**Summary:**

"In 'Chapter 25: The Midnight Mission Part 2', Crowstorm goes over to meet Toadstripe and Goldenshine as the others are heading toward the MountainClan camp. She explains the whole situation to them and asks them to warn Thornstar of the invasion before the patrol reaches the camp."

**Now I'll answer your wonderful reviews for Chapter 23! :)**

** Graywhisper – Hurrah for confusing chapters – I think… I like that idea, and sure, from now on the nameless tom is gray-black, because you suggested it. :) Oh, and his name is officially Shadow's Wind. I'll have them give him a name somewhere in the next chapters. Thank you! :3**

** ShinigamiinPeru – Alright then, I'll make up a random cat and name him/her Sparrow! I'm thinking of doing this: "Sparrow – a brown tabby tom with a white underbelly and brown eyes". {I'm fairly certain that it's possible for cats to have brown eyes, although it's rare.} And as for the other story I'm writing, it's drastically different from, almost the polar opposite of, this story, and it's in first person, so if you like the way this story is written, then you may not like that one so much (but I'll still hope that you do, of course). {Plus it's from the point-of-view of a kind of rude-like person, so… yeah…} Well, if you end up reading it, I hope that you'll like it anyway! :)**

** Guest – Thank you so much! I hope that you'll continue following the story! {It doesn't usually take me this long to update! Sorry :/} Spottedstorm is going to be one of the two names of Shadowclaw and Minnowstream's kits. (The names of the kits in that litter have been decided so no one has to send any more names in except for names of the Intruders. Thank you all!)**

** Rebel Islander – Thanks so much! :) Sorry for the wait! :/**

** Flowing-Rivers – Thanks! :) And I'm glad you like the character. :3**

**Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this two-part chapter! Let me know what you think! :)**


	26. Chapter 26: The Leaf that Never Leaves

"Are we there yet?" the nameless tom whispered, padding closer to Mossyfur to see if she would answer.

The light brown she-cat's ear twitched impatiently. "For the last time, kit," she hissed through gritted teeth, "we are clearly _not_ there yet."

He sighed and slowed his pace so that he was padding beside his golden-furred brother. "How come you got a name?" he murmured spitefully.

"Oh, relax, _kit_," he teased, calling his brother by the same title that most of the other cats in their group called him. Lion's Fire's gray-black brother glared at him. Lion's Fire had a name _and_ an impressive pelt. He was the first kit born from their litter, and while their parents were both well, he was always their favorite, and his brother knew it. How could their parents not even _name_ their younger son?

An older, but still young, she-cat turned her head to look at them and slowed her stride so that she was padding between them. "You both ought to keep your mouths closed," she warned them as they jumped across the freezing stream. "Mossyfur has been looking back at you two a lot, and she's really scary when she's mad."

"Sorry, Mint Leaf," the gray-black tom apologized. "Thanks for warning us."

She blinked her green eyes warmly at him. She joked, "I wouldn't want you to be murdered by Mossyfur before you're even named." Then the white she-cat flicked his ear with her tail. Suddenly, her pale gray ears twitched, and her pale gray paws ceased to pad.

Lion's Fire and his brother stopped as well, but the other cats in their group silently padded on without them. The sun-colored tom asked, concerned, "Mint Leaf, are you alright?" One of her ears twitched, acknowledging him, but she was still frozen.

"Is she having another of those episode things?" the younger tom fretted. "Because then we'll have to stay here with her, and it's possible that we'll miss the raid!"

As he spoke, a black-furred tom emerged from the shadows of the trees and glared at them with intimidating, furious green eyes. "You two were the ones that wouldn't keep quiet, weren't you? You could've been heard by some midnight hunters and foiled everything. And now you're staying behind, too? Are you trying to ruin this for us completely?"

"W-we're so sorry, Snaketail," the younger brother stammered, backing away from the angry larger tom.

Lion's Fire quickly explained, "It's just that Mint Leaf has episodes. At least, that's what the older cats call them. Basically, she just stands there staring out into space. It's like she knows what's happening around her, but she's… suspended, I guess."

Snaketail narrowed his eyes. "How come no one has told me about this before?" he questioned. The younger cats remained silent. "Well?" he pressed. There was still no response. "Take her back to your hideout, kit," the warrior spat to the nameless tom. The younger cat cringed. "You're not that useful to us in the end anyway." Then he turned tail and began padding away in the direction the others had gone, calling behind him, "Lion's Fire, come with me. You'll probably be of some use in this raid, since you're about the size and age of an apprentice." Lion's Fire glanced at his brother regretfully before following Snaketail after the others.

The younger brother sighed. He really was useless, wasn't he? No cat even cared to give him a _name_! He looked at Mint Leaf, his heart heavy as he gazed into her blank green eyes. "I hope you wake up soon, Mint Leaf," he murmured. "Then we can both go home." Thinking of the hideout they'd been staying at, he narrowed his eyes and hissed, "Not that it's much of a home anyway." He rested his head on his paws, his eyes half-closed as he waited for Mint Leaf to return to her normal conscious state.

"I wish you would stop acting so depressed," Mint Leaf mewed spontaneously, causing the younger tom to jump in surprise.

Once he had recovered, he said, "How can I not? I hate how we've been living. I don't care about having a nice home to live in if it means destroying the homes of other cats. Why is this necessary? If we leave the mountain, we can surely find a nicer place to leave. I just know we can!"

Mint Leaf watched him quietly as he ranted. Finally, after several heartbeats of silence, she spoke up. "If you want to leave, we can definitely do that. Let's get your brother and go."

"_What?_ You would… you would really just leave?" His voice was thick with disbelief.

Her voice and the look in her eyes added to the air of confidence and bravery she was exuding. "Why can't we? We'll find a nice new home to live in, away from the mountain. You said you knew we could."

"Well, I did, but…" His voice faltered.

"What is it?" she asked. "Too scared to leave? Or maybe you really _do_ have hope in us finding a new home here?"

He suddenly realized what she was trying to do. She was trying to make him be honest about his feelings. "I can't do it," he decided finally. "I can't just leave. I want to believe that their invasion with be a success, and although it's a shame about the young cats that we'll be replacing, I want to try living here."

"If you leave," Mint Leaf pointed out, "you can have your own name. You can come up with it yourself, if you'd like."

"I'll be named by the Clan, won't I? So why bother?"

"I see that you've reached your resolve. You're staying on our side for your own selfish reasons, but it's what you really want to do, isn't it?"

"I know that I'll never be completely satisfied here, but it's safer to stay in a group than it is to wander off into unknown land with only two others."

"Exactly," the she-cat agreed.

"I was supposed to take you back to the hideout when you came to, so we should get going, I guess…"

"Back to the hideout?" she echoed in disbelief. "You want a new home, right? Fight for your cause!"

"You're saying to go directly against orders and help out anyway? Are you sure you're fit for battle?" he asked.

"I'll be fine," she insisted. "Let's get going!"

Just as they were about to head after the others, a dark brown tabby tom blocked their path. "Where exactly are you going to?" he snarled.

"W-who are you?" Mint Leaf asked, clearly startled.

"I could ask you the same question. Who are you and what are you doing on MountainClan territory?"

"I-I'm Mint Leaf," she told him hesitantly.

"And you?" The tom turned to the young tom.

"Oh, he doesn't have a–"

"My name is Shadow's Wind," he announced. Mint Leaf looked at him strangely, but didn't say anything.

"Well, Mint Leaf, Shadow's Wind, I am Thornstar, leader of MountainClan. This is my territory."

**That concludes Chapter 26! I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think! :)**

**Sorry for the wait! You might have noticed all the one-shots I have been writing, and if you haven't, now you know. They're a big part of why I haven't updated in such a very long time, plus other things (…like life and whatnot…). On the bright side, I'll be updating **_**much**_** more often now! I can't guarantee updates every week like I used to do last summer, when I started writing this story, but they'll be more frequent. If I know for a fact that I won't be able to write and update over a certain period of time, I'll try to let you know in an Author's Note beforehand.**

**Summary:**

"In 'Chapter 26: The Leaf That Never Leaves', the young tom without a name and Mint Leaf are left behind and told to return to their hideout, but they are found by Thornstar, leader of MountainClan (and the nameless tom gives himself the name 'Shadow's Wind')."

**And after all that, there's a cliffhanger. YAY! :D**

**Time to answer your reviews! :)**

** Flowing-Rivers**

**I guess it isn't happening, considering the fact that **_**Thornstar**_** just so happened to be out for a midnight hunt and heard and found Mint Leaf and Shadow's Wind (who named him**_**self**_**). Well, they'll make it back to camp either way, at least. :\**

** ShinigamiinPeru**

**And I'm sorry I didn't **_**update**_** until now! :\ And I **_**will**_** have a cat named Sparrow. I know just what I want to do with that character, so I hope it'll surprise you (somewhat, at least). **

**Thanks for reading (and reviewing, if you're going to)! :) Expect the next update soon!**


	27. Chapter 27: Running out of Time

Thornstar led the two younger cats to the MountainClan camp, glancing back every so often to ensure that they were still following him. How had these cats made their way into MountainClan territory, and why were they going around so late at night? It was very peculiar.

Finally, they reached the entrance to the camp. Thornstar ordered the camp guard, Hollytail, to wake the Clan. With a glance at the two cats he was escorting, the pale gray she-cat sped into the camp on her white paws, Thornstar and the others following her into the clearing. She yowled at the top of her lungs, "Wake up! Thornstar wants you all to wake up!"

Cats scrambled into the clearing in frenzy, their grogginess being replaced by alarm. The MountainClan cats swarmed around Thornstar and the newcomers. "Cats of MountainClan!" called Thornstar to the gathered cats. "I bring you two cats, Mint Leaf and Shadow's Wind, who I found on our territory. I wanted everyone to hear of this and assist me in the decision of what to do with them. Speak," he ordered the strangers.

Mint Leaf spoke up first. "My name is Mint Leaf. My father's father was the founder and leader of a group of cats with no homes to call their own. He led these cats away from their miserable makeshift dens and lonely lifestyles to help them find a new home where they could lead lives worth living." Her voice shook with pride.

"He led those cats far away from their original homes, and some found new homes along the way. Some decided to live with No-furs. Some found safe areas in woods or fields that they chose to stay in. However, many didn't find a new home," she admitted glumly, "and moved on with the group, losing hope as they went along.

"I was twelve moons old when we first received word of the Clan in the mountain. We set off immediately. By this time, our first leader had perished to a terrible illness. One of his sons, my father's brother, took his place. He had a mate that had joined the group many moons before, and she was expecting kits, so every cat expected him to be among the most eager to find a safe home soon. We lost a great number of cats on the way up the mountain, once we had reached it. All the blood from injuries and sicknesses from the change of climate were far too much for a lot of cats. I, along with some others, survived. My father… did not," she said quietly, her voice cracking.

Seeing her pained expression, Shadow's Wind continued the story. "I joined the group only recently, a young tom without a name and his brother, Lion's Fire, who were told by our ill father to travel to the highest point in the mountain and hope that we don't accidentally cross any scent marks. We heeded his order and headed to where we were told. Sure enough, we met their group without straying into Clan territory.

"We were taken in and cared for immediately. It was nice, since our mother had passed away when we were even younger and we had no cat to show us a mother's affection for much of our lives. However, they did as my parents did and refused to name me. I named myself when Thornstar found us in the woods."

Mint Leaf took up the story again. "Three young Clan cats were found by our leader, his mate, and another older tom in our group shortly after our arrival at the mountain. They felt sympathy toward us and agreed to help us find a home in the Clan."

"Three young Clan cats?" echoed Thornstar. Mint Leaf nodded to clarify. Suspicious glances made the seven current Clan apprentices cower in discomfort. "Wait," Thornstar ordered. "Let's not accuse our apprentices immediately." Turning to Mint Leaf and Shadow's Wind, he asked, "Are any of those three cats here at the moment?"

"No, they wouldn't be," the gray-black tom assured him. Ignoring a cautioning glance from Mint Leaf, he explained, "We just saw them not too long ago."

Thornstar's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Blacktail," he called to the medicine cat, "bring Lostpaw over here." The medicine cat nodded and did as he was told, ducking into the medicine den momentarily and then returning with the small cat hanging by his scruff in the older cat's jaws. He lowered Lostpaw onto the ground at Thornstar's paws and stepped back.

"Did any of them have eyes like _his_?" Thornstar demanded.

The two cats peered closely into the eyes of the abnormally tiny cat before turning back to Thornstar. The she-cat said, "One of them has blue eyes like his. The others have green eyes."

Thornstar's suspicions had been correct. Three of Stormstrike's five kits were guilty. Just then, Goldenshine and Toadstripe padded into the camp, calling, "Thornstar! Thornstar!"

Every cat turned to them and shared similar surprised looks. Toadstripe and Goldenshine could only wonder what they were all doing in the clearing already. The pair glanced at the strangers and silently agreed with a glance at each other that surely they must be prisoners captured from the raid. Then again… wouldn't that mean that they were too late? All of the apprentices were present in the clearing, so they couldn't be, surely. Besides that, every cat seemed much too… _sleepy_ to have just fought against the impending raid.

"Thornstar, I hope we arrived here with enough time to warn the Clan," Toadstripe panted, tired from all the sprinting he and his sister had just done.

"There are a bunch of cats on the mountain other than us!" Goldenshine burst out between heavy breaths. "They're coming! They're coming!"

"We know about the intruders, and we know that three of the five warriors from the same litter as you are assisting them. We also know that we can't afford to take any chances." Turning to his deputy, Stormstrike, the father of the accused five cats, he commanded, "Seize them."

With a pained expression, Stormstrike, with the help of three others, forced two of the accused into their temporary prison, the leader's den, without giving them the chance to warn their Clan of the raiding party that was coming their way.

**That concludes Chapter 27! :) I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think! :) **

**Summary:**

"'Chapter 27: Running out of Time', Thornstar takes Mint Leaf and Shadow's Wind to the MountainClan camp. They tell every cat present their story and narrow the possibilities of who their helpers are down to five: Toadstripe, Goldenshine, Mossyfur, Snaketail, and Crowstorm. Not one to take chances, the Clan leader orders the detainment of Toadstripe and Goldenshine, who had wanted to warn their Clan of the raiding party."

**I know that these last few chapters have been pretty confusing, which is the reason why I've added those summaries. I hope they're helping, if ever slightly. Whether they are or aren't, please let me know if you plan on reviewing! :) **

**Also, the last chapter, "Chapter 26: The Leaf that Never Leaves", received absolutely no reviews. I know that, as of today, it's only been three days since I posted that chapter, but it was kind of depressing not to get any opinions/comments/reviews on my writing, so… please review to let me know what you think! :) I'd really appreciate it! :)**


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